Game changer: Powerball hits $1 billion, but for the first time, something’s different

The Powerball jackpot has officially climbed into billion-dollar territory, and for the first time, players on both sides of the Atlantic are helping build it.

After reviewing final ticket sales from Monday night’s drawing, Powerball officials increased the estimated jackpot for Wednesday, Aug. 12, from $975 million to $1 billion. The prize has an estimated cash value of $433.1 million.

The jackpot is the eighth-largest in Powerball history and the largest U.S. lottery jackpot offered so far in 2026, according to Powerball.

First $1 billion jackpot of the U.K. era

This jackpot comes just weeks after Powerball expanded outside the United States for the first time.

Powerball ticket sales began in the United Kingdom on July 21, with British players joining their first drawing July 22. That makes Wednesday’s drawing the first time a U.S. Powerball jackpot has reached $1 billion while tickets are also being sold through The U.K. National Lottery.

U.S. and U.K. players take part in the same drawing and compete for the same shared jackpot. However, the advertised prize is different in each country because of currency exchange rates and the way the winnings are presented and paid.

The U.S. jackpot is advertised as a pre-tax annuity estimate of $1 billion, with a $433.1 million lump-sum cash option before taxes. The U.K. National Lottery lists its estimated jackpot for the drawing at 503 million. U.K. jackpot winners receive the prize through an annuity rather than a lump-sum cash option, and the British advertised amount reflects U.K. tax treatment.

British players select the same five white-ball numbers from 1 through 69 and one red Powerball number from 1 through 26. Their odds of winning the jackpot are also the same: 1 in 292.2 million.

International sales help drive growth

Powerball leaders said stronger-than-expected sales prompted the increase from $975 million to $1 billion. Ticket sales for Monday night’s drawing were more than 86% higher than for the previous Monday drawing.

“The growth of this jackpot reflects an extraordinary level of player interest,” Powerball Product Group Chair and Kansas Lottery Executive Director Stephen Durrell said. “Ticket sales for last night’s drawing exceeded expectations and increased more than 86% compared to the previous Monday drawing. We’re also continuing to see strong participation from both new players in the United Kingdom and millions of Americans who join in as the jackpot reaches the $1 billion mark.”

When Powerball announced the British launch, game officials said adding U.K. players was expected to make jackpots grow faster without changing the $2 base ticket price or the jackpot odds for American players. The U.K. became the first non-U.S. lottery to contribute to the Powerball jackpot pool, bringing the number of participating lotteries to 49. Powerball detailed the international expansion in July.

Only the jackpot pool is shared internationally. Lower-tier prizes and payouts are structured differently in the two countries.

Texas has produced four Powerball jackpot winners

Texas joined Powerball in 2010 and has since produced four jackpot winners, including two within the past year, according to the Texas Lottery.

In September 2025, the Seven Bridges Revocable Trust of Fredericksburg claimed half of the estimated annuitized $1.8 billion grand prize from the Sept. 6 drawing. The jackpot was the second-largest in Powerball and U.S. lottery history. The other winning ticket was sold in Missouri.

Texas added its fourth Powerball jackpot winner in May, when a Leander resident shared the estimated annuitized $20 million grand prize advertised for the May 2 drawing with an out-of-state winner.

The Texas Lottery said ticket sales for Wednesday’s drawing close in Texas at 9 p.m. Central time, 59 minutes before the drawing.

When is the next Powerball drawing?

The next drawing is Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 9:59 p.m. Central time — 10:59 p.m. Eastern — from the Powerball draw studio in Florida.

The drawing will be broadcast by participating television stations and livestreamed on Powerball.com.

Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. In Texas, a base Powerball ticket costs $2 per play. Texas players can add Power Play for another $1 at the time of purchase, bringing the price to $3 for that play.

U.S. tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.K. game uses the same drawing but has separate pricing: a British ticket costs 4 per line.

How Power Play works in Texas

According to the Texas Lottery, Power Play is an optional $1 add-on that Texas players must select when buying their ticket. It can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times, depending on the multiplier selected for that drawing. It does not multiply the jackpot.

A ticket matching all five white balls but not the red Powerball normally wins $1 million. With Power Play, that prize is automatically increased to $2 million, regardless of the multiplier drawn.

The 10X multiplier is offered only when the advertised jackpot is $150 million or less. Because Wednesday’s jackpot is estimated at $1 billion, the available Power Play multipliers for this drawing are 2X, 3X, 4X and 5X.

The overall odds of winning any U.S. Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

Where Powerball ticket money goes

Powerball says more than half of every $2 ticket purchase remains in the jurisdiction where the ticket is sold, supporting public programs and services. Since the game began in 1992, Powerball estimates it has generated $38 billion for causes including education, scholarships, veterans services, parks and recreation.

The international expansion does not redirect the local share of U.S. ticket revenue to the United Kingdom. Money designated for local programs remains in the state or jurisdiction where the ticket was purchased.

Top 10 Powerball jackpots

$2.04 billion — Nov. 7, 2022 — California

$1.817 billion — Dec. 24, 2025 — Arkansas

$1.787 billion — Sept. 6, 2025 — Missouri and Texas

$1.765 billion — Oct. 11, 2023 — California

$1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016 — California, Florida and Tennessee

$1.326 billion — April 6, 2024 — Oregon

$1.08 billion — July 19, 2023 — California

$1 billion estimated — Aug. 12, 2026

$842.4 million — Jan. 1, 2024 — Michigan

$768.4 million — March 27, 2019 — Wisconsin

Sources: Powerball, The U.K. National Lottery and the Texas Lottery. Jackpot estimates are subject to change based on ticket sales and interest rates.