Powerball at $64 million for Saturday, Jan. 3, after $1.817 billion win
Christmas Eve Powerball win in Arkansas nearly dethroned Edwin Castro of California, who won $2.04 billion in 2022. Will there be a winner soon after New Year holiday?
Lottery players had quite the holiday season with the record-setting Powerball prize of $1.817 billion — will there be a winner for the first weekend of 2026?
As they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
The Wednesday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve Powerball inched close to $2 billion, but one lucky ticket had the perfect number combo. It was purchased from a Murphy USA gas station at the Walmart Supercenter in Cabot, Arkansas. The Christmas Eve jackpot was for $1.7 billion, but final ticket sales pushed it to the second-highest lottery prize in U.S. history, at $1.817 billion.
The jackpot restarted at $20 million for Saturday, Dec. 27, and has been growing ever since.
After the drawing for Wednesday, Dec. 31, or New Year’s Eve was $45 million, resulted in a rollover, the first Powerball jackpot of 2026, or Saturday, Jan. 3, will be $64 million, with a cash option of $29.5 million. Saturday’s winning Powerball numbers were 18-21-40-53-60 and the Powerball was 23. Power Play was 3x. Those numbers mean the first Powerball rollover of the new year.
The Powerball jackpot for Monday now rises to $86 million, with a cash option of $38.8 million.
There was one big winner in Saturday’s Powerball drawing. A ticket purchased in Texas matched 5 plus the Power Play for a $2 million prize.
In case you’re wondering, Wednesday, Dec. 31, winning Powerball numbers were 11-18-21-24-38 and the Powerball was 26. Power Play was 10x. Though those numbers resulted in a rollover, it wasn’t all bad news: There was one big winner in the New Year’s Eve Powerball drawing. A ticket purchased in Mississippi matched 5 for a $1 million prize.
Tickets start at $2 a piece. Below is what to know about lottery odds, how long to claim the cash option if you bought a ticket in Florida, and what happens to unclaimed prize money, according to the Florida Lottery.
Powerball numbers for Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026? 18-21-40-53-60 and the Powerball was 23
Powerball lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. ET every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, including holidays. Saturday, Jan. 3, winning Powerball numbers were 18-21-40-53-60 and the Powerball was 23. Power Play was 3x. We’ll see if there’s a winner just after New Year’s Eve after the $1.817 billion Christmas Eve win from Arkansas.
How long has Powerball rolled over?
The current Powerball streak started Saturday, Dec. 27, after someone won $1.817 billion from the Dec. 24, 2025, Christmas Eve Powerball drawing. The winning ticket was purchased from a Murphy USA gas station at a Walmart Supercenter in Cabot, Arkansas.
Below is a recap of drawings and rollovers and how much the jackpot has increased over time.
When is the next Powerball drawing? What are the chances of winning Powerball lottery?
Powerball drawings are held at 11 p.m. ET Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, including holidays. According to Powerball.com, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $20 million or $2 billion. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
The next Powerball drawing will be Jan. 5 — the first Monday of 2026.
What are Top 10 biggest Powerball jackpots in history?
Here are the Top 10 Powerball jackpots in the history of the game as of Jan. 3, 2026:
10. $758.7 million — Aug. 23, 2017; Massachusetts
9. $768.4 million — March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
8. $842.4 million — Jan. 1, 2024; Michigan
7. $1.08 billion — July 19, 2023; California
6. $1.33 billion — April 6, 2024; Oregon
5. $1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
4. $1.765 billion Powerball drawing — Oct. 11, 2023; California
3. $1.787 billion — Sept. 6, 2025; Missouri and Texas
2. $1.817 billion — Dec. 24, 2025, Christmas Eve holiday: Cabot, Arkansas
1. $2.04 billion — Nov. 7, 2022; California
When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion for Mega Millions and Powerball? Biggest lottery prizes in US history
As of Jan. 3, 2026, there have been 14 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
- $2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
- $1.817 billion Powerball prize, Dec. 24, 2025, the Christmas Eve holiday: Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, Arkansas
- $1.8 billion Powerball prize, Sept. 6, 2025, anonymous winner in St. Louis, Missouri, and Seven Bridges Revocable Trust of Fredericksburg, Texas
- $1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California (ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
- $1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
- $1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
- $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
- $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
- $1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
- $1.269 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, Rosemary Casarotti of California
- $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
- $1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
- $1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
(This story was updated to include new information.)
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
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