WASHINGTON — Despite the promise of a Christmas miracle, there was no jackpot winner for Powerball's Christmas Day drawing, which offered up an estimated $660.3 million.
The winning numbers for Monday's Christmas night jackpot drawing were 5-12-20-24-29 and Powerball 4, with a Power Play 2x. The cash option, which most winners choose, was more than $321.1 million.
The jackpot for Monday was initially estimated at $638 million, but the prize was announced as $660.3 million at the time of the drawing.
Although no jackpot winners were selected, a few people did win a million dollars for Christmas.
Tickets in California, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania all matched the five regular numbers, netting their owners $1 million. A pair of tickets in Colorado and Georgia picked all five numbers correctly, and chose the more expensive Power Play option, making them worth a cool $2 million.
The estimated prize for Wednesday's drawing is $685 million, with a $344.7 million cash prize. That's just $2.8 million away from cracking the top 10 highest Powerball jackpots in history.
The lottery game hasn't seen a jackpot winner since Oct. 11, when a single ticket in California took home the $1.76 billion prize. The prize is currently the fourth Powerball jackpot to topple the half-a-billion dollar mark this year.
What were the winning Powerball numbers for Monday, December 25, 2023?
The winning numbers are 5-12-20-24-29 and Powerball 4, with a Power Play 2x.
If a winner matches all five numbers and the Powerball, they have the option to take the full jackpot paid out over 30 years, or a smaller cash payout. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Monday was more than $321.1 million.
The streak without a jackpot winner is due to the game's long odds, 1 in 292.2 million, that are designed to make winning rare so grand prizes can grow large.
Even with the smaller lump sum payout, federal taxes will eat into those winnings, and some states also tax big lottery prizes. Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When is the Powerball drawing?
The Powerball drawing takes place live at 10:59 p.m. Eastern every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets, which cost $2 per play, are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What are my chances of winning the Powerball?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
Over the past few years, huge lottery jackpots have become more common as lottery officials have changed the rules and ticket prices to boost top prizes.
Powerball's biggest change came in 2021 when officials decided to add a Monday drawing to its weekly lineup of Wednesday and Saturday evening drawings. At the time of the announcement, Powerball proclaimed the addition of the Monday drawing would lead to "larger, faster-growing jackpots."
What are the largest Powerball jackpots?
- $2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
- $1.76 Billion – Oct. 11, 2023
- $1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
- $1.08 Billion – July 19, 2023 – CA
- $768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – WI
- $758.7 Million – Aug. 23, 2017 – MA
- $754.6 Million – Feb. 6, 2023 - WA
- $731.1 Million – Jan. 20, 2021 – MD
- $699.8 Million – Oct. 4, 2021 – CA
- $687.8 Million – Oct. 27, 2018 – IA, NY
What are the largest US lottery jackpots ever won?
- $2.04 billion: Powerball - Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
- $1.76 Billion – Oct. 11, 2023
- $1.586 billion: Powerball – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
- $1.58 billion: Mega Millions – Aug. 8, 2023 – FL
- $1.537 billion: Mega Millions – Oct. 23, 2018 - SC
- $1.35 billion: Mega Millions - Jan. 13, 2023 - ME
- $1.337 billion: Mega Millions - July 29, 2022 - IL
- $1.08 billion: Powerball – July 19, 2023 – CA
- $1.05 billion: Mega Millions - Jan. 22, 2021 - MI
- $768.4 million – March 27, 2019 – WI