DES MOINES, Iowa — The bad news is that no one won Wednesday night’s huge $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot.
The good news is that means the prize has grown even larger to $1.5 billion ahead of the next drawing Saturday night. That is the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The one-time lump sum payout would. be $745.9 million.
The only larger prizes were a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in 2018 and a $1.586 billion Powerball prize in 2016.
Depending on how ticket sales go, it’s possible that Saturday’s jackpot could eclipse both of those when the drawing happens at 7:59 p.m. PT on Saturday.
The numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 2, 11, 22, 35, 60 and the red Powerball 23.
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No one has won the top Powerball prize since Aug. 3, making for 39 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers.
What’s behind three months of lottery futility? It’s simple math. The odds of winning the jackpot are an abysmal 1 in 292.2 million.
Five tickets sold in Oregon have previously won the Powerball jackpot. No ticket sold in Oregon has ever won the Mega Millions jackpot.
One thing Oregon contestants should know is this: If they win, staying anonymous will be pretty much impossible. The names of the lottery winners, the money they made, and the city in which they bought the ticket are all public records.
Powerball all-time largest jackpots
- $1.586 billion: Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets sold)
- $1.5 billion: Nov. 5, 2022
- $768.4 million: March 27, 2019
- $758.7 million: Aug. 23, 2017
- $731.1 million: Jan. 20, 2021
- $699.8 million: Oct. 4, 2021
- $687.8 million: Oct. 27, 2018 (two tickets)
- $632.6 million: Jan. 5, 2022 (two tickets)
- $590.5 million: May 18, 2013
- $587.5 million: Nov. 28, 2012 (two tickets)
Mega Millions all-time largest jackpots
- $1.537 billion: Oct. 23, 2018
- $1.337 billion: July 29, 2022
- $1.050 billion: Jan. 22, 2021
- $655 million: March 30, 2012 (three tickets sold)
- $648 million: Dec. 17, 2013 (two tickets sold
- $543 million: July 24, 2018
- $536 million: July 8, 2016
- $533 million: March 30, 2018
- $522 million: June 7, 2019
- $516 million: May 21, 2021
