{"id":1815,"date":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/powerball-1-8b-jackpot-2\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T02:03:48","slug":"powerball-1-8b-jackpot-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/powerball-1-8b-jackpot-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $1.8 Billion, Second-Largest in U.S. History"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p><time datetime=\"2025-09-06T05:49:00Z\">Sept. 6, 2025<\/time> \u2014 The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $1.8 billion ahead of Saturday\u2019s drawing, making it the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history; the advertised annuity total is $1.8 billion and the lump-sum cash option is estimated at $826.4 million before taxes.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The jackpot stands at $1.8 billion with a lump-sum cash estimate of $826.4 million (pre-tax).<\/li>\n<li>Saturday\u2019s drawing will be the 42nd since the jackpot was last won on May 31, tying the game\u2019s record for consecutive drawings without a top-prize winner.<\/li>\n<li>Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.<\/li>\n<li>The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million; overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9.<\/li>\n<li>Winners may choose the annuity (one immediate payment plus 29 annual increasing payments) or the lump-sum cash option.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Verified Facts<\/h2>\n<p>The jackpot reached $1.8 billion after a run of consecutive drawings with no top-prize winner. The last winning jackpot was recorded on May 31 in California. Saturday\u2019s drawing will continue a streak that ties the record for most consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.<\/p>\n<p>The advertised $1.8 billion figure represents the annuitized total paid as one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that rise by about 5% each year. The estimated cash option for a single, immediate payment is $826.4 million before federal and any state taxes.<\/p>\n<p>Powerball tickets are sold across 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for $2 per play. Drawings are held live from Tallahassee, Florida, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET and are streamed on Powerball.com.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots (announced totals)<\/figcaption><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Rank<\/th>\n<th>Amount<\/th>\n<th>Game \/ Month<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>1<\/td>\n<td>$2.04 billion<\/td>\n<td>Powerball \u2014 Nov. 2022 (California)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2<\/td>\n<td>$1.8 billion<\/td>\n<td>Powerball \u2014 Sept. 2025 (current)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3<\/td>\n<td>$1.76 billion<\/td>\n<td>Powerball \u2014 Oct. 2023 (California)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>$1.60 billion<\/td>\n<td>Mega Millions \u2014 Aug. 2023 (Florida)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>5<\/td>\n<td>$1.59 billion<\/td>\n<td>Powerball \u2014 Jan. 2016 (CA, FL, TN)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<td>$1.54 billion<\/td>\n<td>Mega Millions \u2014 Oct. 2018 (South Carolina)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>7<\/td>\n<td>$1.35 billion<\/td>\n<td>Mega Millions \u2014 Jan. 2023 (Maine)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8<\/td>\n<td>$1.34 billion<\/td>\n<td>Mega Millions \u2014 July 2022 (Illinois)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9<\/td>\n<td>$1.33 billion<\/td>\n<td>Powerball \u2014 April 2024 (Oregon)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>10<\/td>\n<td>$1.27 billion<\/td>\n<td>Mega Millions \u2014 Dec. 2024 (California)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>Context &amp; Impact<\/h2>\n<p>Large, sustained jackpots tend to drive heavy ticket sales and public attention, increasing retail traffic at convenience stores and news coverage. Extended rollovers raise the advertised annuity amount while the lump-sum estimate reflects current cash-on-hand and interest-rate assumptions.<\/p>\n<p>Tax implications vary by state; federal taxes will apply to large lottery payouts and many states also levy income tax on winnings. Winners often consult financial, tax and legal advisors before choosing payout options.<\/p>\n<p>Because odds of winning the jackpot are extremely low (about 1 in 292.2 million), lottery officials and consumer advocates typically remind players to treat purchases as entertainment, not investment.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: Annuity vs. Lump Sum<\/summary>\n<p>The annuity pays the advertised amount over 30 payments: one initial disbursement followed by 29 annual payments that increase roughly 5% each year. The lump-sum cash option provides a single, smaller payment that represents the present cash value of the annuity fund. Tax treatment and personal financial goals are key factors in choosing between the two.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No top-prize claimant had been reported at the time of publication; whether the jackpot will be won in Saturday\u2019s drawing is not known.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>The Powerball jackpot\u2019s rise to $1.8 billion has renewed broad public interest and will draw millions of ticket purchases ahead of the next drawing. Anyone holding a winning ticket should secure it and seek professional advice on claims and tax planning.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.powerball.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Powerball (official site)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABC News<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press (photo credit)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sept. 6, 2025 \u2014 The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $1.8 billion ahead of Saturday\u2019s drawing, making it the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history; the advertised annuity total is $1.8 billion and the lump-sum cash option is estimated at $826.4 million before taxes. Key Takeaways The jackpot stands at $1.8 billion with &#8230; <a title=\"Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $1.8 Billion, Second-Largest in U.S. History\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/powerball-1-8b-jackpot-2\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $1.8 Billion, Second-Largest in U.S. History\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Powerball Hits $1.8B Jackpot \u2014 Second Largest | InDepth News","rank_math_description":"Powerball\u2019s prize has climbed to $1.8 billion as of Sept. 6, 2025, the second-largest U.S. jackpot; lump-sum is estimated at $826.4M. Read key facts, odds and payout options.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Powerball,$1.8 billion,jackpot,lump sum,odds","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}