Media Release: Powerball jackpot soars to ninth largest in game history
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Powerball jackpot soars to ninth largest in game history
Next drawing set for tomorrow night
JOHNSTON, Iowa (August 4, 2026) – The Powerball® jackpot has continued its summer surge, reaching an estimated $786 million ahead of Wednesday night’s drawing. The growing prize now ranks as the ninth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.
The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $341.6 million for the lucky winner who chooses a lump-sum payment instead of the annuity option.
“The last time we saw a Powerball jackpot of this size was on Christmas Eve, with a $1.817 billion prize on the line,” said Stephen Durrell, Powerball Product Group Chair and Kansas Lottery Executive Director. “But throughout the past year, we’ve had five Powerball jackpots won by players in seven different states, which goes to show a winning $2 ticket can be sold anywhere.”
The Powerball jackpot has been building for months. The grand prize was last won on May 2, when two tickets in Florida and Texas split a $20 million jackpot. Since then, there have been 40 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.
The summer jackpot streak has already created 35 Match 5 winners, including a Wisconsin Lottery player who scored a $2 million prize in last Monday’s drawing by including the Power Play® option for $1 more. The Match 5 prize is a set prize of $1 million, except in California where prize payouts are pari-mutuel and determined by sales and the number of winners.
If a player wins the jackpot on Wednesday night, they may choose to receive the prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or as a lump-sum payment. Both prize options are before taxes.
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play and are sold in 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom.
More than half of every $2 Powerball ticket purchase remains in the jurisdiction where it is sold, helping fund public programs and services that benefit local communities. Since 1992, Powerball has generated an estimated $38 billion for good causes, including education and scholarships, veteran services, parks and recreation, and more.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Powerball draw studio in Florida and streamed live on Powerball.com.
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Top Ten Powerball® Jackpots
- $2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
- $1.817 Billion – Dec. 24, 2025 - AR
- $1.787 Billion – Sept. 6, 2025 – MO, TX
- $1.765 Billion – Oct. 11, 2023 - CA
- $1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
- $1.326 Billion – April 6, 2024 – OR
- $1.08 Billion – July 19, 2023 – CA
- $842.4 Million – January 1, 2024 – MI
- $786 Million (est.) – Aug. 5, 2026
- $768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – WI
2026 Powerball Jackpot Winners
Jan. 21, 2026 - $209.3 Million – North Carolina
March 2, 2026 - $250.8 Million – Arkansas
April 6, 2026 - $230.8 Million – Delaware
April 29, 2026 - $143 Million – Indiana, Kansas
May 2, 2026 - $20 Million – Florida, Texas
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Media Contact:
Anna Domoto
Multi-State Lottery Association
+1-515-453-1401