No, there was no Powerball jackpot winner for the drawing on November 7, 2023. The jackpot had grown to an estimated $1.9 billion after 39 consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner. This makes it the largest lottery jackpot in US history, surpassing the previous record of $1.586 billion set in 2016.
Powerball Basics
Powerball is a popular multi-state lottery game operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association. Tickets cost $2 each, and players select 5 white ball numbers from 1-69 and 1 red Powerball number from 1-26. To win the jackpot, players must match all 5 white balls and the red Powerball. The odds of doing this are incredibly slim, at just 1 in 292.2 million.
Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The drawings are televised and streamed online. Lottery players across 45 states, as well as Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands can play Powerball.
Nov. 7 Drawing Results
The winning numbers for the November 7, 2023 drawing were:
- White balls: 10, 33, 41, 47, 56
- Red Powerball: 24
The Power Play multiplier was 3X.
Since no ticket matched all 6 numbers, the jackpot was not won. The lack of a winner allowed the top prize to roll over once again, boosting the jackpot estimate to $1.9 billion for the next drawing on November 9.
Here is a summary of the other prize winners from the November 7 drawing:
| Match | Prize | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 5 white balls + Powerball | $1.9 billion* | 0 |
| 5 white balls (no Powerball) | $1 million | 15 |
| 4 white balls + Powerball | $50,000 | 54 |
| 4 white balls (no Powerball) | $100 | 1,377 |
| 3 white balls + Powerball | $100 | 11,475 |
| 3 white balls (no Powerball) | $7 | 169,646 |
| 2 white balls + Powerball | $7 | 268,781 |
| 1 white ball + Powerball | $4 | 628,628 |
| Powerball only | $4 | 188,086 |
*Jackpot estimate for November 9 drawing.
As shown, over 1.2 million tickets won prizes other than the jackpot in this drawing. 15 tickets matched the first 5 numbers for a $1 million prize each.
Rolling Jackpot Hits $1.9 Billion
Since the grand prize continued to elude players, the Powerball jackpot reached $1.9 billion for the November 9 drawing. This became the largest lottery jackpot in US history.
The previous record Powerball jackpot was $1.586 billion. It was split between 3 winning tickets on January 13, 2016.
Lottery fever swept the nation as the new record jackpot captured headlines. Ticket sales surged as more players got caught up in Powerball mania. For the November 7 drawing alone, over 111 million tickets were sold.
Many ticket buyers formed office pools or pooled money with friends, family, and co-workers to afford more chances at the enormous prize. With billions at stake, the opportunity was too lucrative for lottery enthusiasts to ignore.
Will the Jackpot Be Won?
While the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are incredibly low, the prize will likely be claimed eventually. With so many tickets in play, a winner is almost inevitable.
If one or more winning tickets match all 6 numbers in an upcoming drawing, the jackpot prize will be split evenly amongst them. Winners can choose to receive the full amount as an annuity paid out over 29 years, or take a reduced cash option paid in a lump sum.
Most winners opt for the cash prize, which for this record $1.9 billion jackpot is estimated around $929 million. That’s still more than enough to dramatically change someone’s life overnight!
Changes to Powerball Game
Over its 30+ year history, Powerball has gone through some changes to continue boosting jackpot sizes.
In 2015, the pool of white balls increased from 59 to 69. This change decreased the odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292 million today.
Powerball also went from being a $1 to $2 game in January 2012. The extra dollar per ticket meant more money feeding into the jackpot prize pool.
In addition, Power Play was introduced in 2001 as an optional multiplier for non-jackpot prizes. For an extra $1 per ticket, a randomly drawn multiplier between 2X to 10X is applied when winning one of the lower tier prizes. The Power Play feature helps boost the overall payouts.
These changes implemented over time have enabled Powerball jackpots to grow larger than ever. The lottery keeps finding ways to capture player interest and push the top prize to new record levels.
Biggest Lottery Jackpots in History
Here is a summary of the top 10 largest lottery jackpots in US history:
| Rank | Date | Lottery | Jackpot | Winning Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 7, 2023* | Powerball | $1.9 billion | TBD |
| 2 | Jan 13, 2016 | Powerball | $1.586 billion | 3 |
| 3 | Jul 30, 2021 | Mega Millions | $1.537 billion | 1 |
| 4 | Oct 23, 2018 | Mega Millions | $1.537 billion | 1 |
| 5 | Jan 22, 2021 | Mega Millions | $1 billion | 1 |
| 6 | Oct 4, 2021 | Powerball | $699.8 million | 1 |
| 7 | Mar 30, 2019 | Powerball | $768.4 million | 1 |
| 8 | Aug 23, 2017 | Powerball | $758.7 million | 1 |
| 9 | Jan 20, 2021 | Powerball | $731.1 million | 1 |
| 10 | Nov 28, 2012 | Powerball | $587.5 million | 2 |
*Projected jackpot amount for November 9, 2023 drawing.
As seen, 6 of the top 10 record jackpots have been from Powerball, including the current $1.9 billion prize up for grabs. Mega Millions has delivered some monumental jackpots as well.
These two multi-state lottery games account for the biggest jackpot payouts in US history due to their immense popularity across the country. When the jackpots escalate into the hundreds of millions or billions, ticket sales skyrocket as lottery fever kicks into high gear.
Taxes on Lottery Winnings
While winning a Powerball jackpot is certainly life-changing, winners don’t get to keep the full amount. Income tax withholding and other deductions significantly reduce the final payout.
For a prize as enormous as $1.9 billion, federal taxes withheld would be 24% right off the top. There may also be up to another 13% withheld for state taxes, depending on where the ticket was purchased and claimed.
The top marginal tax rate of 37% applies to lottery winnings for federal income tax purposes. However, the 24% flat rate is typically used for withholding. In addition, the big multi-state lottery games also have fixed withholdings.
Powerball has mandatory federal tax withholding of 24% for US citizens. For a foreign resident, this mandatory withholding jumps up to 30%. State taxes add further reductions in addition to the federal tax bites.
The immediate cash value lump sum of a $1.9 billion Powerball prize would end up around $929 million after federal withholding alone. Taking out estimated state taxes drops it further to around $800 million.
While that net amount is still an astronomical fortune, the winner doesn’t just walk away with $1.9 billion in hand. Taxes and other withholdings can claim over 50% of record-breaking lottery jackpots.
Jackpot Winners Stay Anonymous
For security and privacy reasons, most Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot winners opt to remain anonymous.
Only a handful of US states allow lottery winners to claim prizes anonymously. However, winners can use a trust or LLC to help shield their identity even in states that require names be made public.
Lawyers advise jackpot winners to avoid media attention and keep their win under wraps as much as possible. Coming forward publicly can make you a target for security threats, scams, unwanted requests for money, and loss of privacy.
By collecting a prize through a trust, winners can maintain anonymity. The lottery makes the check payable to the trust instead of the individual.
There have been cases in the past of big lottery winners being sued, taken advantage of, and even murdered after their windfall became public knowledge. For most, keeping the life-changing news quiet and private is the safest option.
Where Jackpot Money Comes From
With Powerball jackpots reaching such staggering amounts, where exactly does all the prize money come from?
Lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions are operated by multi-state organizations on behalf of participating state lotteries. These organizations oversee administration of the games.
Ticket sales fund the jackpot pools. The bulk of money wagered on Powerball tickets goes to pay out prizes. About half of sales is allocated to the jackpot pool, with the remainder funding lower tier prizes and administration fees.
State lotteries also take their share of ticket sales revenue before disbursing the remainder to the game pools. Lottery revenue helps fund a variety of state causes and public programs.
As the jackpot grows based on rollovers, more players buy tickets hoping to win big. This increases sales and in turn builds up the jackpot even higher. Ultimately the winners are paid from this pool of money collected from the aggregated ticket sales.
Odds of Winning
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot currently stand at 1 in 292.2 million. This means it is extremely unlikely any given ticket will match all the numbers required.
But while the odds seem astronomical, the huge number of tickets sold once the jackpot escalates allows the prize to eventually be won. With hundreds of millions of possible number combinations, there is also plenty of room for more than one winner to hit the random lucky numbers.
To put the miniscule odds in perspective, you are about:
- 300 times more likely to get struck by lightning in your lifetime
- 2300 times more likely to have quintuplets naturally
- 4800 times more likely to become president of the United States
As unlikely as the odds seem, there are some techniques players try utilizing to improve their chances. Buying more tickets gives more opportunities for numbers to align. Forming lottery pools allows buying more tickets with multiple people.
Using significant dates like birthdays or anniversaries when selecting numbers carries sentimental appeal for some ticket buyers, even though the number combinations chosen don’t actually affect the odds either way.
In the end, winning the Powerball jackpot is a matter of incredibly good fortune. For most, taking a chance on the record $1.9 billion top prize is simply worth it for even the remotest opportunity of a massive life-changing windfall. At just $2 per ticket, it’s a relatively small gamble for the potential payoff.
Conclusion
The Powerball jackpot hitting $1.9 billion has created unprecedented lottery fever across America. While no ticket won the top prize on November 7, millions of people will likely keep playing with hopes of claiming the world record payout.
Eventually a winner or winners will match all the numbers against steep 292.2 million to 1 odds. They will take home a life-altering fortune, even after taxes and withholdings slash away a significant percentage.
For now, lottery enthusiasts continue anxiously awaiting the upcoming Powerball drawings. $1.9 billion represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The next winner may just have the lucky ticket stashed in their pocket or purse right at this very moment, not yet realizing their wildest dreams are about to come true in one extraordinary stroke of luck.