The Powerball lottery conducted its Wednesday night drawing at 10:59 p.m. ET at the Florida Lottery studio in Tallahassee, with winning numbers 26, 67, 69, 66 and 4 and a red Powerball of 9, with a 2x multiplier — but no winner has been reported for the estimated $1 billion jackpot, the largest lottery prize of 2026.
Powerball drawing yields no jackpot winner as $1 billion prize rolls over
The Powerball lottery conducted its Wednesday night drawing at 10:59 p.m. ET at the Florida Lottery studio in Tallahassee, with winning numbers 26, 67, 69, 66 and 4 and a red Powerball of 9, with a 2x multiplier — but no winner has been reported for the estimated $1 billion jackpot, the largest lottery prize of 2026.
The jackpot reached $1 billion after no tickets matched the winning numbers in Monday's drawing, when the grand prize stood at $905 million, according to CBS News. Monday's numbers were 6, 37, 54, 55 and 64 with a Powerball of 10.
The $1 billion figure represents the annuity value, paid over 30 years. The estimated lump-sum cash value is $433.1 million before taxes, according to both sources. NBC Connecticut notes the prize is subject to an automatic federal withholding of 24% and an additional 13% in federal taxes when filing a 2026 return, as well as state taxes in most jurisdictions ranging from 2.9% to 10.9%, though eight states levy no state tax on lottery winnings.
Wednesday's drawing marked 44 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner since May 2. According to CBS News, the May 2 jackpot of $20 million was split between tickets purchased in Florida and Texas.
Both sources confirm this is the eighth-largest Powerball jackpot in history and only the 15th time a $1 billion prize level has been reached in U.S. lottery history, according to CBS News. The all-time record remains a $2.04 billion Powerball ticket sold in California in November 2022.
The odds of winning the Powerball grand prize are 1 in 292.2 million, a figure cited by both sources.
Powerball is sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to CBS News, tickets also went on sale in the United Kingdom last month, though U.K. purchases count only toward the jackpot, with lower-tier prizes structured differently.
Powerball Product Group Chair and Kansas Lottery Executive Director Stephen Durrell stated, according to NBC Connecticut, that ticket sales for the Wednesday drawing exceeded expectations and increased more than 86% compared to the previous Monday drawing, noting participation from new players in the United Kingdom as well as millions of American players.
Where sources differ
- The two sources describe the annuity payout period differently: NBC Connecticut states the jackpot is paid 'over 30 years,' while CBS News, citing the Multi-State Lottery Association, describes it as '30 annuity payments spanning 29 years.'
- Whether any ticket matched five numbers (second-tier prize) in Wednesday's drawing is not established by either source.
- The total number of tickets sold for Wednesday's drawing is not specified beyond the percentage increase cited by Durrell.
- It is not confirmed whether a jackpot winner ultimately emerged from Wednesday's drawing, as both sources were published before or shortly after the draw without confirmed results.
- Details on how lower-tier prizes for U.K. players are structured differently are not explained by either source.
- No response or comment from Powerball or lottery officials specifically addressing the no-winner outcome of Wednesday's drawing appears in either source.
- NBC Connecticut — original — by NBC Staff
- CBS News — by Brian Dakss
Read the original at NBC Connecticut