AUSTIN, Texas — You have one more chance at taking home the Powerball jackpot before 2023 ends! But that didn't stop a pair of Texans from taking home big money.
The winning numbers for Wednesday's jackpot drawing were 4-11-38-51-68 and Powerball 5, with a Power Play 3. The cash option, which most winners usually choose, was worth an estimated $355.9 million.
While no one hit the jackpot, the Texas Lottery says two tickets took home big prizes. A ticket worth $2 million was sold at a gas station just outside of Houston, while another ticket in the Lone Star State won $1 million.
There was also another ticket in California that took home $1 million for matching all five regular numbers.
With no grand prize winner Wednesday night, the jackpot is up to an estimated $760 million for Saturday's drawing - the last Powerball drawing of 2023. That would be the sixth-largest Powerball jackpot in history.
“This Powerball jackpot is climbing the charts and it’s anyone’s guess whether our next big winner will be made in 2023 or the New Year,” Powerball Product Group Chair Drew Svitko said in a statement. “This is a fun time to get into the game, especially over the holidays when you can dream big with family and friends."
The lottery game hasn't seen a jackpot winner since Oct. 11, when a single ticket in California took home the $1.76 billion prize. The prize is currently the fourth Powerball jackpot to topple the half-a-billion dollar mark this year.
What were the winning Powerball numbers for Wednesday, December 27, 2023?
The winning numbers are 4-11-38-51-68 and Powerball 5, with a Power Play 3.
If a winner matches all five numbers and the Powerball, they have the option to take the full jackpot paid out over 30 years, or a smaller cash payout. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Wednesday was $355.9 million.
The streak without a jackpot winner is due to the game's long odds, 1 in 292.2 million, that are designed to make winning rare so grand prizes can grow large.
Even with the smaller lump sum payout, federal taxes will eat into those winnings, and some states also tax big lottery prizes. Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When is the Powerball drawing?
The Powerball drawing takes place live at 10:59 p.m. Eastern 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.
What are my chances of winning the Powerball?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
Over the past few years, huge lottery jackpots have become more common as lottery officials have changed the rules and ticket prices to boost top prizes.
Powerball's biggest change came in 2021 when officials decided to add a Monday drawing to its weekly lineup of Wednesday and Saturday evening drawings. At the time of the announcement, Powerball proclaimed the addition of the Monday drawing would lead to "larger, faster-growing jackpots."
What are the largest Powerball jackpots?
- $2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
- $1.76 Billion – Oct. 11, 2023
- $1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
- $1.08 Billion – July 19, 2023 – CA
- $768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – WI
- $758.7 Million – Aug. 23, 2017 – MA
- $754.6 Million – Feb. 6, 2023 - WA
- $731.1 Million – Jan. 20, 2021 – MD
- $707.2 Million (est.) – Dec. 27, 2023
- $687.8 Million – Oct. 27, 2018 – IA, NY