Powerball Jackpot Hits New Record

Powerball's jackpot for this Saturday is $365 million! Because we've reached a new all-time Powerball jackpot high, the special Match-5 Bonus kicks in. Here are some fun facts about the upcoming drawing and bonus.

• The jackpot prize is advertised as an annuity payable in 30 graduated installments. Winners can also opt for a one-time cash payout now valued at $177.3 million.
• The cash payout of $177.3 million is the third largest in the world and second largest in U.S. history.
• The jackpot rolled only $25 million after surpassing the previous record of $340 million set on Oct. 19, 2005, to reach $365 million. Additional funds from sales that would have gone into the jackpot prize pool are instead placed into the Match 5 Bonus Prize pool.
• The Match 5 Bonus is a special "share the winning" feature that caps jackpot growth to no more than $25 million over a previous Powerball record. The additional funds are used to fund a unique cash bonus that is split equally between all match-5 winners during the drawing in which the jackpot is won. This bonus is paid in addition to the regular $200,000 prize for matching 5 white ball numbers but missing the red Powerball number.
• The Match 5 Bonus prize pool is expected to be around $15 - $20 million in cash as it gets closer to Saturday's drawing, meaning players could still win millions even if they don't win the jackpot! The actual amount can be found on Powerball's web site and grows based on sales.
• This is the 19th drawing in this run which began Dec. 14
• Odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 146 million. Odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 37.
• Powerball tickets must be purchased by 9 p.m. on the night of the drawing!

These are exciting times at the Lottery. However, we want to remind all of our players to play responsibly and remember you must be at least 21 years old to purchase Louisiana Lottery tickets. Good luck!