The Powerball Jackpot Just Hit $750 Million. Here's the Deadline to Buy Tickets Tonight in Every State
The Powerball jackpot is now up to a whopping $750 million, and the next drawing is tonight. It's the biggest lottery jackpot of 2019 so far, and if someone has all of the Powerball winning numbers it would represent the fourth-highest lottery jackpot of all time in the U.S.
Bear in mind that the odds of winning Powerball are unlikely, to put it mildly. To win the Powerball jackpot, you must have all five white numbers (between 1 and 69) and the red Powerball number (between 1 and 26) correct. The odds of having all of the winning Powerball numbers on your ticket are 1 in 292 million.
Still, there are many other ways to win a Powerball prize of some sort. You'll win $1 million if you have all five winning white balls but not the red Powerball, for example, and you'd win $50,000 by getting four white balls and the Powerball correct.
Most importantly, you can't win Powerball if you don't buy a ticket in time for the latest drawing. Each Powerball ticket costs $2, and the deadline to buy Powerball tickets varies by state. Here's all the information you need for a chance to win the $750 million jackpot in the Powerball drawing tonight, Wednesday, March 27.
When Are the Powerball Winning Numbers Drawn?
Powerball drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. Some local nightly news programs show Powerball drawings live, while other stations around the country announce Powerball winning numbers at a little after 11 p.m. ET.
You can also find out about the winning Powerball numbers online at sites such as powerball.com and lottery.net.
The next Powerball drawing is tonight (Wednesday, March 27), when a jackpot estimated at $750 million is up for grabs. The lump sum cash value of today's $750 million jackpot is $465.5 million, before taxes. (And yes, if you are lucky enough to win the Powerball jackpot, our advice is to take the lump sum rather than annual payments.)
What Is the Deadline to Buy Powerball Tickets?
Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The deadline to buy Powerball tickets varies by location. So we checked the state lottery websites around the country for their Powerball cutoff times, and all of the deadlines are listed below.
Powerball jackpots roll over and get bigger and bigger if no one has all of the winning numbers in drawings. And as lottery jackpots grow, so does the likelihood for long lines to buy tickets. So it's best to buy Powerball tickets well before the deadline arrives in your state. Also, take note that many states offer online lottery ticket sales.
Arizona Lottery
The cutoff for buying is Powerball tickets in Arizona is 6:59 p.m. MT (8:59 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Arkansas Lottery
The cutoff for Powerball ticket sales in Arkansas is 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) on days when the winning numbers are announced.
California Lottery
The deadline for buying Powerball tickets in California is 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Colorado Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Colorado is 7:30 p.m. MT (9:30 p.m. ET) on days when winning numbers are announced.
Connecticut Lottery
Connecticut Powerball sales are cut off at 10 p.m. ET on drawing days (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Delaware Lottery
The deadline for buying Mega Millions tickets in Delaware is 9:45 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
D.C. Lottery
The cutoff to buy Powerball tickets in Washington, D.C., is 9:45 p.m. ET on the days when winning tickets are announced (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Florida Lottery
The last time to buy Powerball tickets in Florida is 10 p.m. ET on the night of the drawing.
Georgia Lottery
Powerball ticket sales in Georgia are cut off at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when the winning numbers are drawn.
Idaho Lottery
The deadline to buy multi-state lottery tickets in Idaho, including Powerball, is one hour and five minutes before the drawing. That means the cutoff time for Powerball ticket sales is 7:54 p.m. MT (9:54 p.m. ET) on Wednesday and Saturday.
Illinois Lottery
The cutoff time to buy Powerball tickets in Illinois is 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Indiana Hoosier Lottery
Powerball lottery ticket sales in Indiana are cut off at 9:58 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Iowa Lottery
The cutoff time to buy lottery tickets in Iowa for Powerball is 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) on days when the winning numbers are picked.
Kansas Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Kansas is 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Kentucky Lottery
The deadline to purchase Powerball tickets in Kentucky is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on days when the winning numbers are announced.
Louisiana Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Louisiana is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Maine Lottery
The cutoff time for Powerball ticket sales in Maine is 9:50 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
Maryland Lottery
Powerball ticket sales in Maryland are cut off at 9:59 p.m. on the nights of Powerball drawings (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Massachusetts Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Massachusetts is 9:50 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
Michigan Lottery
The cutoff time to buy Mega Millions tickets in Michigan is 9:45 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
Minnesota Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Minnesota is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on the day winning numbers are announced.
Missouri Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Missouri is 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) on the day of the draw.
Montana Lottery
Sales of Powerball tickets in Montana are cut off at 8 p.m. MT (10 p.m. ET) on Wednesdays and Saturdays for drawings.
Nebraska Lottery
The deadline for buying Powerball tickets in Nebraska is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on the night of drawings.
New Hampshire Lottery
You can buy Mega Millions tickets in New Hampshire until 9:50 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
New Jersey Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in New Jersey is 9:59 p.m. ET on the day when winning numbers are picked.
New Mexico Lottery
Powerball ticket sales in New Mexico are cut off at 8 p.m. MT (10 p.m. ET) on Wednesdays and Saturdays for drawings.
New York Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in New York state is 10 p.m. ET on days when winning numbers are announced.
NC Lottery
Powerball ticket sales in North Carolina are cut off at 9:59 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
North Dakota Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in North Dakota is 8:58 p.m. CT (9:58 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Ohio Lottery
Mega Millions lottery ticket sales in Ohio are cut off at 10 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing (Wednesday and Saturday).
Oklahoma Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Oklahoma is 8:59 p.m. CT (9:59 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.
Oregon Lottery
The deadline for buying Powerball tickets in Oregon is 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) on drawing days.
Pennsylvania Lottery
The cutoff time to buy Powerball tickets in Pennsylvania is 9:59 p.m. ET on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Rhode Island Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Rhode Island is 9:50 p.m. ET on drawing nights (Wednesday and Saturday).
South Carolina Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in South Carolina is 9:59 p.m. ET on days when the winning numbers are announced.
South Dakota Lottery
South Dakota Powerball ticket sales are cut off at 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on Wednesday and Saturday nights for drawings.
Tennessee Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in Tennessee is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on days when winning numbers are announced.
Texas Lottery
The cutoff time for Powerball ticket sales in Texas is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on drawing days.
Vermont Lottery
The cutoff to buy Powerball tickets in Vermont is 9:50 p.m. ET on drawing days (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Virginia Lottery
The deadline for Powerball ticket sales in Virginia is 10 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
Washington Lottery
Mega Millions lottery ticket sales in Washington are cut off at 6:45 p.m. PT (9:45 p.m. ET) on drawing nights.
West Virginia Lottery
The deadline to buy Powerball tickets in West Virginia is 9:59 p.m. ET on the day of the drawing.
Wisconsin Lottery
The cutoff time to buy Powerball tickets in Wisconsin is 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) on Wednesdays and Saturdays for a chance to win the jackpot in that night's drawing.
Wyoming Lottery
Powerball ticket sales in Wyoming close at 7:59 p.m. MT (9:59 p.m. ET) on the day of the drawing.