Merry Christmas! No doubt, millions have wished for a little more money this holiday season, and so playing the Powerball became super popular. Will a $2 lottery ticket turn into multimillions? Only time will tell.
After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the “Eve before Christmas Eve,” aka the Saturday, Dec. 23, drawing for $620 million, the top prize climbed to $638 million for Monday, Dec. 25, aka Christmas Day.
Though that’s a lot of dough, it’s not quite large enough to be in the Top 10 biggest jackpots in U.S. history (see below). But it’s getting close!
Check back for Monday, Christmas Day, numbers, and we’ll see if there’s a winner or another rollover.
Has anyone ever won big on Christmas Day? Here are the numbers.
In case you’re wondering, the winning numbers for the drawing on Saturday, Dec. 23, were 9-14-17-18-53 and the Powerball was 6. Power Play was 3x.
There were some early Christmas presents drawn Saturday. One ticket purchased in Nebraska matched 5 plus the Power Play for a $2 million prize. Two other tickets matched 5 for $1 million, and those were purchased in Arizona and Missouri.
Powerball tickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about Powerball, Florida Lottery and lottery odds. Good luck!
How much was the Powerball lottery jackpot for Monday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day 2023?
an estimated $638 million with a cash option of $321.1 million
an estimated $620 million with a cash option of $310.8 million
an estimated $572 million with a cash option of $286.7 million
How long has Powerball rolled over?
This series of Powerball lottery drawings started after the Oct. 14 rollover. Here’s a recap of the drawings and how much the jackpot has grown (in so short a time):
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Monday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day: $638 million
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Saturday, Dec. 23: $620 million
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Wednesday, Dec. 20: $572 million
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Monday, Dec. 18: $543 million
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Saturday, Dec. 16: $535 million
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Wednesday, Dec. 13: $500 million
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Monday, Dec. 11: $477 million
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How many Florida Lottery retailers are in Florida?
There are more than 13,000 authorized Florida Lottery retailers here, the site states.
No. Powerball prizes must be claimed in the state where the ticket was purchased, the Florida Lottery says.
When do Florida Lottery tickets expire?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it. Florida Lottery says its scratch-off tickets and Fast Play game prizes “must be claimed within 60 days of the official end-of-game date. Once the applicable time period has elapsed, the related Florida Lottery ticket will expire.”
What happens to the unclaimed prize money?
According to the Florida Lottery, state law requires 80% of unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets be transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20% is returned to the prize pool for future drawings.
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What happens to unclaimed Powerball prize money?
Should a Powerball ticket not be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date, the Florida Lottery site states, “the funds to pay the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series.” According to Powerball’s site, “unclaimed prizes are kept by the lottery jurisdiction. If a Grand Prize goes unclaimed, the money must be returned to all lotteries in proportion to their sales for the draw run. The lotteries then distribute the money, based on their own jurisdiction’s laws, to other lottery games or to their jurisdiction’s general fund, or otherwise as required by law.”
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What are the odds of winning Powerball lottery game?
Powerball drawings are held at 11 p.m. EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. 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.
Are the odds of winning Powerball the same if the jackpot is $1 billion?
Players have a 1 in 24.9 chance of winning a prize, powerball.com states. Players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $20 million or $1 billion.
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.”
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
As of Dec. 25, 2023, there have been nine lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion.
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9. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: A single ticket won in Michigan.
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8. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023: A single ticket won in California.
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7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: A single ticket won in Illinois.
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6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023: A single ticket was purchased in Maine.
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5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: A single ticket won in South Carolina.
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4. $1.58 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023: A single ticket won in Neptune Beach, Florida
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3. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three tickets won from California, Florida, Tennessee.
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2. $1.765 billion Powerball drawing — Oct. 11, 2023: A single ticket won from California.
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1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: A single ticket won in California.
Who won, how long did it take to win Powerball, Mega Millions and those billion-dollar jackpots?
What are the Top 10 biggest Powerball jackpots in history?
Here are the Top 10 Powerball jackpots as of Dec. 25, 2023:
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10. $687.8 million — Oct. 27, 2018; Iowa and New York
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9. $699.8 million — Oct. 4, 2021; California
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8. $731.1 million — Jan. 20, 2021; Maryland
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7. $754.6 million — Feb. 6, 2023; Washington
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6. $758.7 million — Aug. 23, 2017; Massachusetts
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5. $768.4 million — March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
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3. $1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
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2. $1.765 billion Powerball drawing — Oct. 11, 2023; California
What are the Top 10 largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history?
The following Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots made the Top 10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, as of Dec. 25, 2023.
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10. $768.4 million Powerball drawing — March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
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9. $1.05 billion Mega Millions drawing — Jan. 22, 2021; Michigan
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8. $1.08 billion Powerball drawing — July 19, 2023; California
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7. $1.337 billion Mega Millions drawing — July 29, 2022; Illinois
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6. $1.35 billion Mega Millions drawing — Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
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5. $1.537 billion Mega Millions drawing — Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
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4. $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing — Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
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3. $1.586 billion Powerball drawing — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
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2. $1.765 billion Powerball drawing — Oct. 11, 2023; California
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1. $2.04 billion Powerball drawing — Nov. 7, 2022; California
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Anyone win Powerball for Monday, Christmas Day, December 25, 2023?
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