How did 91 Powerball tickets win $1M+ in drawing? It’s the pattern

, The EnquirerMay 4, 2026

0 10 2 minutes read

Powerball winning numbers for $143M jackpot on Wednesday, April 29

More than 90 people walked away millionaires (some multi-millionaires) after striking it rich following the April 29 Powerball drawing.

The Powerball drawing, which had a jackpot of $143 million and a cash option of $65.2 million, aligned with common player patterns on playslips, which explains the rather odd amount of winners.

According to the Powerball website, there were 62 winners for the $1 milllion Match 5 prize (yes, you read that correctly) and 27 winners for the $2 milllion Match 5 prize.

More than 90 people took home $1 million and $2 million prizes. Is that normal?

It’s almost hard to believe the April 29 Powerball drawing had so many million-dollar winners, but the numbers are true, and there’s a pattern to the winning numbers.

The white balls – 3, 19, 35, 51 and 67 – in numerical order, all increase by 16. For example, 3 plus 16 is 19. If you add 19 and 16, you get 35, and so on.

That numerical pattern sometimes aligns with states’ Powerball bet slips, including in Indiana and New Jersey, which is what Powerball believes led to so many million-dollar winners.

“Players who select their own Powerball numbers often create patterns when using playslips,” a May 1 press release from Powerball states. “In this case, the winning white ball numbers were in a singular column on many lottery playslips. As players are coming forward to claim their millions, we are learning that many used that very pattern as their special way of picking their winning numbers.”

The Powerball release also assured players the drawing was completed with the presence of an independent auditing firm, which reviews and confirms compliance with all draw and security protocols.

“What a night for Powerball players! We are thrilled with these exciting draw results!” Matt Strawn, Powerball Chair, said in the press release. “Thank you to all our players, and congratulations to the ticketholders who woke up millionaires!”