It took longer than expected because of a procedural delay, but the wait was worth $1.326 billion for a lucky Powerball ticket holder in Oregon.
The winning numbers drawn early Sunday were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and the red Powerball was 9. The Power Play was 3X. Ticket sales pushed the final jackpot total to $1.326 billion, lottery officials said in a statement. That made it the fourth-largest grand prize in the history of Powerball and the eighth-largest in U.S. lottery history.
Powerball’s top prize had not been won since Jan. 1. The 41 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner tied a mark set in 2021 and tied in 2022, according to The Associated Press.
The winning player can choose between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $1.3 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $621 million, lottery officials said. Both prize options are calculated before federal and applicable state taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
“On behalf of Powerball, I’d like to congratulate the winner of this $1.326 billion jackpot. Winning the Powerball is not just about hitting the jackpot, it’s about the power to make dreams a reality and to create positive change in the world,” Drew Svitko, Powerball Product Group Chair and executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, said in a statement. “Lottery games, like Powerball, generate proceeds that are used to do so much good work in local communities across the country. Thank you to our players and retailers for helping us make a lasting impact from this jackpot run.”
Saturday night’s drawing was delayed for more than three hours after Powerball officials reported that one participating lottery needed additional time to complete the required pre-draw procedures. The measures are put in place to protect the security and integrity of the game.
The drawing occurred in the Florida Lottery studio just before 2:29 a.m. EDT Sunday, Powerball said in a statement.
In addition to the big jackpot, there were seven second-tier winners that had a ticket worth $1 million. Those tickets were sold in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan and Wyoming.
[ Procedural glitch delays Saturday night’s $1.3 billion Powerball drawing ]
The last Powerball jackpot on Jan. 1 was won by a single ticket in Michigan to win an $842.2 million grand prize.
The highest jackpot in Powerball history is $2.04 billion, sold to a single winner in California on Nov. 7, 2022.
Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets, which cost $2 per play, are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the grand prize are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.com.
Top 10 Powerball jackpots
- 1. $2.04 billion -- Nov. 7, 2022; California.
- 2. $1.765 billion -- Oct. 11, 2023; California.
- 3. $1.586 billion -- Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee.
- 4. $1.326 billion -- April 6, 2024, Oregon
- 5. $1.08 billion -- July 19, 2023; California.
- 6. $842 million -- Jan. 1, 2024; Michigan.
- 7. $768.4 million -- Mar. 27, 2019; Wisconsin.
- 8. $758.7 million -- Aug. 23, 2017; Massachusetts.
- 9. $754.6 million -- Feb. 6, 2023; Washington.
- 10. $731.1 million -- Jan. 20, 2021; Maryland.