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The Powerball Jackpot Is Up to $750 Million. Here's When You Need to Buy Tickets

By:
Brad Tuttle
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2018 | 4 min read
The Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries have had huge jackpots in 2018. - Justin Sullivan—Getty Images
The Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries have had huge jackpots in 2018. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

Just a few days after somebody won the highest Mega Millions jackpot ever of nearly $1.6 billion, another enormous lottery grand prize is on the line: The Powerball jackpot is up to $750 million.

No one had the winning Powerball numbers on the last drawing on Wednesday, when the jackpot was estimated at $620 million. So the prize money rolls over to the next Powerball drawing, with the jackpot rising to $750 million.

That would be one of the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history — good for the third-highest Powerball jackpot, and the fourth highest lottery jackpot overall. The highest lottery jackpot ever in the U.S. was the $1.586 billion Powerball in early 2016, followed closely by this week's $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in second place.

Here's everything you need to know about how and when to buy Powerball tickets for a chance at the winning numbers in the latest huge lottery drawing.

When Is the Next Powerball Drawing?

The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Saturday, October 27, at 10:59 p.m. ET.

Mega Millions and Powerball drawings are staggered throughout the week: Mega Millions drawings are always on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Powerball drawing is always on Wednesday and Saturday.

To find out if you have the winning Powerball numbers, go to powerball.com or lottery.net. You can also watch the Powerball drawing live online, or click on your local TV nightly news to see the Powerball results on 10/27/18 or any other drawing date.

What Is the Deadline to Buy Powerball Tickets?

You can buy Powerball tickets in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each Powerball ticket costs $2, and you can either buy a ticket with machine-chosen numbers or enter numbers you pick personally. (Here are the most common winning Powerball numbers, if you're interested.)

The deadline to buy Powerball tickets varies by location, and the cutoff time is not necessarily the same as the deadline to buy Mega Millions tickets.

In general, you must buy Powerball tickets one to two hours before the drawing to have a chance at that night's jackpot. Check your state lottery website or your local store selling lottery tickets for the precise Powerball cut-off time. And take note that when you buy a Powerball ticket or any similar lottery ticket, it will have the corresponding drawing date printed on it.

What Are the Odds of Winning Powerball vs. Mega Millions?

As for the Powerball vs. Mega Millions matchup, both Powerball and Mega Millions are extreme long shots to win: The winning ticket must have all six numbers correct to hit the jackpot. But Powerball gives players slightly higher odds at the jackpot than Mega Millions.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million, compared to odds of 1 in 302 million for Mega Millions.

Mind you, the jackpot is not the only prize in Powerball or Mega Millions. There are nine different winning number combinations in both Powerball and Mega Millions, with prizes ranging from $2 to the jackpot depending on how many matching numbers are on your ticket.

Overall, the odds of winning some kind of prize in Powerball or Mega Millions are basically the same: 1 in 24.

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