Powerball Surges to a Massive $1 Billion Jackpot

Another day, another jaw-dropping jackpot. Yep — the billion-dollar mark is back on the board.

This holiday season has been wild for both Mega Millions and Powerball. The newest surge came after nobody hit all five numbers plus the Powerball on Wednesday, December 10. That pushed the pot from $930 million to a cool $1 billion for the Saturday, December 13 drawing. The cash-out option? A hefty $461.3 million.

What’s even crazier is how often we’re seeing jackpots hit these sky-high levels. This is now the 14th time in history that either game has climbed to $1 billion or more — and only one jackpot has ever cracked $2 billion.

Just last month, Mega Millions flirted with the mark too, stopping at $983 million before a lucky ticket sold in Georgia scooped the prize on November 14.

And if you remember the last massive streak, the Powerball climbed from $950 million on August 27 to the coveted $1 billion the very next day — eventually landing at a staggering $1.787 billion, split by winners from Missouri and Texas.

A Few Quick Highlights

• Massive momentum: Powerball has been rolling since September 8.

• Holiday excitement: Big jackpots leading right into Christmas and Hanukkah.

• Record-breaking history: Only one jackpot ever passed $2 billion.

• Cash option values: Always a hot topic for jackpot chasers.

How the Current Powerball Jackpot Climbed

Here’s a fast recap of the run-up from September 8 to the current $1 billion prize:

• Dec. 13: $1 billion

• Dec. 10: $930 million

• Dec. 8: $875 million

• Dec. 6: $820 million

• Dec. 3: $775 million

• Dec. 1 (Cyber Monday): $740 million

• Nov. 29 (Small Business Saturday): $719 million

• Nov. 26 (Black Wednesday): $681 million

• Nov. 24: $654 million

• …and so on, stretching all the way back to Sept. 8 at $20 million.

This streak shows how fast jackpots can snowball once they pick up momentum.

Biggest Lottery Jackpots in U.S. History

These are the giants — the jackpots that made headlines across the country:

• $2.04 billion Powerball — November 7, 2022

• $1.8 billion Powerball — September 6, 2025

• $1.73 billion Powerball — October 11, 2023

• $1.586 billion Powerball — January 13, 2016

• $1.58 billion Mega Millions — August 8, 2023

• $1.537 billion Mega Millions — October 23, 2018

• $1.348 billion Mega Millions — January 13, 2023

• $1.337 billion Mega Millions — July 29, 2022

• $1.326 billion Powerball — April 6, 2024

• $1.269 billion Mega Millions — December 27, 2024

• $1.128 billion Mega Millions — March 26, 2024

• $1.08 billion Powerball — July 19, 2023

• $1.050 billion Mega Millions — January 22, 2021