Powerball Jackpot Up To Nearly $200 Million For Saturday Night’s Drawing

It’s been an objectively terrible week for Diddy.

The rap impresario otherwise known as Sean Combs faces life in prison for his alleged role in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, and bribery. (We think that covers it.)

But while it’s been Bad News Central for Diddy, there was one bright spot for him: A Michigan judge canceled a previous order for him to pay $100 million to a prison inmate who accused him of sexual assault. The reversal came after Combs’ lawyers argued that he wasn’t properly notified about the lawsuit, and the first he heard of it was when the media caught wind of the ordered payout.

So, Diddy may be saving $100 million … which is kinda like winning $100 million … which is what a lucky lottery player may do if they go a perfect 6-for-6 in Powerball this Saturday night and choose to collect their winnings in one lump-sum cash payment.

The precise amount of the estimated cash option is $99.5 million, while the annuity value of the top prize is up to $195 million after no one won Wednesday’s drawing — the 13th consecutive without a winner. The last win came on Aug. 19, when a $44 million jackpot ticket was purchased in California.

The winning numbers Wednesday — 1, 11, 22, 47, and 68 with a red Powerball of 7 — saw one New Jersey resident hit all the numbers except for the Powerball, resulting in a hit of a cool million bucks.

Lottery Geeks estimates some 12.9 million Powerball tickets were sold, up over 3 million tickets from the previous drawing.

Mega Millions back on the rise

There wasn’t a winner in Tuesday’s Mega Millions lottery, pushing the jackpot prize up to $47 million (with a $23.9 million cash option) for Friday night’s draw.

Tuesday’s numbers of 14, 31, 48, 57, and 64 with gold Mega Ball 9 yielded a single million-dollar winner, in Oklahoma, for matching the first five numbers.

Lottery Geeks estimates about 10.4 million tickets were sold for the drawing.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the option to pay an extra $1 for the prize multiplier.

Both lotteries are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets are also sold in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and, for Powerball only, Puerto Rico.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California

And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $558.1 million, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California