Winning Powerball numbers announced for estimated $1.25 billion jackpot

The winning numbers for an estimated $1.25 billion Powerball jackpot — the game’s sixth-largest prize ever — are 25, 33, 53, 62 and 66 with a Powerball of 17.

Wednesday’s jackpot has an estimated cash value of $572.1 million, Powerball said. 

It was not immediately known if there were any winners of Wednesday’s jackpot. 

“Powerball has only seen back-to-back to billion-dollar jackpots twice, and this one has arrived just in time for the holidays,” said Matt Strawn, Iowa Lottery CEO and Powerball Product Group chair. 

The $1.25 billion Powerball jackpot is the second-biggest Powerball grand prize this year: a $1.787 billion jackpot was hit Sept. 6 in Missouri and Texas. Wednesday’s drawing is the 44th since the last time a jackpot was won — the longest such Powerball run.

There were no winning tickets sold for Monday night’s $1.14 billion grand prize. 

To win the grand prize, a ticket must match the five white balls pulled during the drawing as well as the red Powerball. A single jackpot winner would have the choice of taking a lump sum payment estimated at $572.1 million or opting for a payout via an annuity, which would consist of one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year. Either option is before taxes.

The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball, but lottery jackpots have exploded in size over the last decade. While the prizes are huge, the odds of winning still remain extremely low. 

Powerball drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m. ET. 

In 2022, a single ticket sold in Altadena, California, claimed a $2.04 billion jackpot, the largest in both Powerball and lottery history. The first Powerball drawing was in 1992. 

Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and cost $2 each.