Saturday night, August 30, 2025, saw lottery hopefuls across the United States glued to their screens as the Powerball drawing unfolded, with a jaw-dropping $1 billion jackpot on the line. The winning numbers—3, 18, 22, 27, 33, with a Powerball of 17 and a Power Play multiplier of 3x—sent a ripple of excitement through lottery retailers and online forums alike. As anticipation reached fever pitch, players in New York and beyond waited to see if their tickets would change their lives forever.
According to multiple reports, including those from Townsquare Media and USA Today, the Powerball jackpot had not been won since May 31, 2025, when a lucky ticket in California claimed a $205 million prize. In the 38 consecutive drawings since then, no one managed to match all six numbers, allowing the jackpot to balloon into one of the largest in Powerball’s 33-year history. Saturday’s $1 billion prize marked only the sixth time the lottery had reached such dizzying heights.
Players had the choice of taking the full $1 billion as an annuity paid out over 30 years or opting for a lump-sum cash payout of $453.1 million. Of course, as FOX News and The Los Angeles Times pointed out, winners face a complex tax picture. Federal taxes take a 24% bite off the top as an automatic withholding, with another 13% potentially due when filing 2025 returns. State taxes add another layer, ranging from 2.9% to 10.9% depending on where the winner resides. However, residents of California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, or Wyoming are spared state taxes on lottery winnings.
Despite the enormous prize, Saturday’s drawing did not produce a grand prize winner. As reported by USA Today and corroborated by Powerball’s official site, the jackpot rolled over yet again, setting up a staggering $1.1 billion prize for Monday, September 1, 2025. This new jackpot ranks as the fifth largest in Powerball’s history, trailing only behind record-setting draws like the $2.04 billion win in California in November 2022 and the $1.765 billion prize in October 2023.
While no one matched all six numbers on Saturday, many players walked away with substantial prizes. In New York State alone, Townsquare Media detailed an impressive spread of winners: eleven third-place tickets matched four out of five numbers plus the Powerball, with nine winning $50,000 each and two with the Power Play option netting $150,000 apiece. New Yorkers also claimed 311 fourth-place prizes (matching four numbers but missing the Powerball), with 287 winners taking home $100 and 32 Power Play tickets scoring $300. The fifth-place tier—matching three numbers plus the Powerball—saw 640 winners, with 548 earning $100 and 92 Power Play tickets garnering $300.
Nationwide, the excitement extended far beyond New York. According to USA Today and Powerball.com, there were significant second-place winners in several states. Nine tickets matched all five white balls for a $1 million prize each, with four winners in California and one each in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, three lucky players in Colorado, Indiana, and New Hampshire matched five numbers and played the Power Play, doubling their prize to $2 million.
The scale of participation was enormous. Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with tickets sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The game’s structure is simple but tantalizing: players pick five numbers from 1 to 69 and a single Powerball from 1 to 26. The odds of hitting the jackpot? A daunting 1 in 292,201,338, as noted by the Associated Press and mathematics professor Andrew Swift, who remarked that your chance of winning is even slimmer than flipping a coin and getting heads 28 times in a row. Still, the overall odds of winning any prize are a much friendlier 1 in 24.87.
For those who don’t land the big one, Powerball offers a range of prizes. Matching just the Powerball nets $4, while matching three numbers and the Powerball yields $100. The Power Play option, available for an extra $1 per ticket, can multiply non-jackpot prizes up to 10 times, depending on the jackpot size. In states like California, however, prize payouts are pari-mutuel, meaning the amounts can fluctuate based on ticket sales and the number of winners.
The list of recent Powerball jackpots reads like a who’s who of lottery history. In the past two years alone, winners have claimed $1.326 billion in Oregon (April 2024), $1.765 billion in California (October 2023), and $1 billion in California (July 2023), among others. Saturday’s $1 billion prize joined this elite club, highlighting the enduring allure of lottery dreams.
For those wondering about the logistics, buying a Powerball ticket is straightforward. Tickets cost $2 per play, and in some states, like Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you can purchase them online. The deadline for buying tickets varies by state—9:45 p.m. ET in Delaware, 9:59 p.m. in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The next drawing, set for Monday, September 1, 2025, promises even more suspense as the jackpot climbs to $1.1 billion.
Behind the headlines, the Powerball’s massive jackpots have sparked debates about the role of lotteries in society. Some see them as a harmless form of entertainment and a source of funding for public programs, while others criticize them for preying on the hopes of the less fortunate. But for millions of Americans, the thrill of possibility is enough to keep them coming back, ticket in hand, for the next big drawing.
As the Powerball jackpot continues its record-breaking run, one thing is certain: the dreams, the excitement, and the anticipation are far from over. With $1.1 billion now up for grabs, all eyes will be on Monday night’s drawing—and the question remains, will anyone finally claim the prize?
