Powerball Jackpot Reaches Historic Height with 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and Powerball 19
Powerball's Wednesday draw produced 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and Powerball 19, offering a $1.7B annuity or $781.3M lump sum; odds 1 in 292.2M overall.
Overview
Wednesday's Powerball draw produced numbers 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and Powerball 19, placing a top-prize within reach of a single winner before taxes.
Winner can choose between $1.7B annuity over 29 years or a $781.3M lump sum, both pre-tax, according to Powerball organizers.
In September, two tickets in Missouri and Texas shared a $1.787 billion jackpot, the second-largest in U.S. lottery history.
The next drawing is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 27 at 10:59 p.m., with another drawing on the same date if no winner emerges.
Overall odds of winning remain extreme at 1 in 292.2 million, with pre-tax amounts potentially reducing actual take.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present the Powerball story with neutrality, focusing on factual reporting without evaluative language or bias. The articles provide straightforward information about the jackpot, odds, and historical context, using quotes from experts to explain the improbability of winning. The coverage is balanced, offering details on how to play and potential winnings, without sensationalism or selective emphasis.
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FAQ
Federal tax withholding on large lottery prizes is 24% initially, but the top federal tax rate (37%) likely applies when filing, so a $781.3M lump-sum winner could expect roughly 37% federal tax on most of the prize (reducing it to about $492M) before any state taxes; state tax rates vary and could further reduce the payout by anywhere from 0% to ~10% or more depending on the winner’s state, so the after-tax take would likely fall in the mid-to-high hundreds of millions but substantially below the pre-tax $781.3M.
The overall odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million; these odds are similar to those of other large U.S. multi-state jackpots (Mega Millions odds are 1 in 302.6 million), making such jackpots extremely unlikely to be hit by a single ticket.
If no ticket matches all numbers, the jackpot will roll over and increase for the next scheduled drawing (Powerball holds drawings three times weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday), with the new jackpot announced before the next drawing; rollovers historically grow until a jackpot-winning ticket is sold or until the jackpot is split among multiple winners when hit.
Yes; the largest U.S. lottery jackpot was a $2.04 billion Powerball prize in November 2022, and a $1.787 billion Powerball prize in September 2023 was split between two tickets, both ranking among the biggest U.S. jackpots ever.
History
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