Powerball winning numbers for Saturday, 2/4/23, $700 million jackpot

ocala.com

07 December 2022

Powerball winning numbers for Saturday, 2/4/23, $700 million jackpot

The Powerball rolled over and — by a hair — into the Top 10 largest jackpots ever.

After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball on Wednesday, Feb. 1, the jackpot increased to a whopping $700 million. Earlier this week, the grand prize surpassed $600 million and in mere days skyrocketed toward the current pot. With Wednesday's rollover, the total ranked 10th in the Top 10 list of highest jackpots in U.S. history. The previous record-holder for that was the $699.8 million jackpot won on Oct. 4, 2021, by a single ticket purchased in California.

Here's a recap of the lottery prizes, including the dates of the drawings and when they surpassed increments of $100 million, to show how quickly the jackpots have soared:

Dec. 7, 2022: $100 million
Dec. 26, 2022: $201 million
Jan. 4, 2023: $325 million
Jan. 11, 2023: $404 million
Jan. 21, 2023: $502 million
Jan. 30, 2023: $613 million
Feb. 1, 2023: $700 million

For those wondering, the Powerball numbers for Wednesday were 31-43-58-59-66 and the Powerball was 9. Power play was 2X.

Interestingly, while the Powerball jackpot has grown larger, there are two billion-dollar lottery prizes that have yet to be claimed. One is a Powerball prize, and the other is Mega Millions.

Powerball drawings are held at 11 p.m. EST Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Below are some frequently asked questions about Powerball, Mega Millions, recent jackpot winners and lottery odds.

Did anyone claim $2 billion Powerball lottery in California?

As of Feb. 2, no. The last mega jackpot for Powerball still has not been claimed after a single ticket from California matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the Nov. 7 drawing.

How much is the cash payout for $2 billion Powerball prize?

The cash value for the $2.04 billion drawing adds up to nearly $1 billion ($929.1 million, according to the Florida Lottery).

What happens if no one claims the prize?

If someone misses the deadline to claim the Powerball prize, the money goes to the schools, according to California lottery officials.

Did anyone claim $1.35 billion Mega Millions lottery?

As of Feb. 2, no. Winners have up to a year from the drawing to claim the prize, officials say. On Jan. 13 − a Friday the 13th, btw − the Mega Millions jackpot grew to a whopping $1.35 billion, with the winning ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine. The winner has not been revealed.

Why are lottery prizes getting bigger?

One reason we're seeing bigger lottery prizes today is because of changes in how games like Mega Millions are played made a few years ago, experts say.

"These larger jackpots are by design," Jadrian Wooten, collegiate associate professor of economics at Virginia Tech, said in an email to USA TODAY.

Mega Millions was notably redesigned in 2017. Ticket prices were raised from $1 to $2 and the chances of winning the jackpot were decreased with more numbers drawn – resulting in bigger jackpots, Wooten explains.

With higher ticket prices, "some people may have played less, but others may have jumped in since the introduction of more 'smaller' prizes as well," Wooten said, then pointing to the jackpot-probability change.

"Before 2017, the first five numbers were drawn from 1 through 75 and the Mega Ball was 1 through 15," wWooten said.

"After the change, they reduced the first five numbers to 1 through 70, but increased the number of Mega Balls to 25," he said, noting that this lowered the chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot from 1 in 258.9 million to 1 in 302.6 million.

"As the odds of winning the jackpot decrease, weekly ticket revenue increases, resulting in a larger jackpot."

Mega Millions' shift followed Powerball, which previously saw similar changes implemented in 2015.

Largest jackpots − ever

Did you know? Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have surpassed $1 billion six times in the history of the games (see below for the dates). Fun fact: The Jan. 13, 2023, winner (aka the Friday the 13th winner) marks the third time a billion-dollar jackpot was won in January.

$700 million with a cash payout of $375.7 million

When will the Powerball jackpot reach $1 billion?

If the drawings, held three times a week, keep rolling over, February could be a possibility.

How long has the Powerball rolled over?

In November, a single ticket sold in California won the record-setting largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, a whopping $2.04 billion. The Powerball jackpot has rolled over since Nov. 7.

What are the odds of winning Powerball?

According to Powerball.com, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.

What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?

According to the Mega Millions website, you have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.

Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?

According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."

However, the site states, since May 25, 2022, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."

What is the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history?

The largest lottery prize ever climbed to $2.04 billion in November. The jackpot was an estimated $1.9 billion days before the drawing, but lottery ticket sales helped it grow to more than $2 billion after updated calculations. A single ticket purchased in California won the grand prize.

Which lottery game has had more jackpots surpass $1 billion?

Mega Millions

How many times did lottery jackpots reach $1 billion or more?

When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more?

As of Feb. 1, 2023, there have been six lottery jackpots that have surpassed $1 billion. We mentioned this earlier − half of the prizes were won (but not necessarily claimed) in January.

6. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: A single ticket won in Michigan.

5. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: A single ticket won in Illinois.

5. $1.35 billion, Jan. 13, 2023: A single ticket was purchased in Maine.

3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: A single ticket won in South Carolina.

2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three tickets won from California, Florida, Tennessee.

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: A single ticket won in California.