The Powerball jackpot rolled on after Saturday’s drawing, swelling to an estimated $1.6 billion as no ticket matched all six numbers.
Saturday’s winning numbers were 4, 5, 28, 52, 69 with Powerball 20. While no one hit the jackpot, the drawing still produced a handful of sizable winners — including six tickets in Virginia that paid out five- and six-figure amounts.
Virginia finds six big winners
The Virginia Lottery reports that more than 120,000 tickets in the Commonwealth won prizes in the Saturday drawing. Among those: one ticket that paid $150,000 and five tickets that each paid $50,000.
- The $150,000 prize came from a ticket purchased at the Publix on South Laburnum Avenue in Richmond.
- The five $50,000 winners were sold at:
Virginia players should remember they must be 18 or older to claim prizes. The state’s lottery proceeds support K–12 education; in Fiscal Year 2025 the Virginia Lottery raised more than $901 million for public schools.
What the bigger picture looks like
Because there was no Match-6 winner, the grand prize continues to grow. The next drawing is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 22 at about 10:59 p.m. ET. The annuitized jackpot is estimated at $1.6 billion; the one-time lump-sum cash option has been reported around the mid-$700 millions (figures are announced and updated by Powerball officials before each drawing and are before taxes).
The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot remain steep — about 1 in 292.2 million — and the odds of winning any prize are roughly 1 in 25.
Saturday’s drawing also produced other notable prizes around the country. For example, multiple Match-5 with Power Play (million-dollar) tickets were sold in other states on different recent drawings, underlining that even when the jackpot keeps climbing, plenty of players still walk away with life-changing smaller wins.
Why these big rollovers happen more often now
Jackpots above $1 billion have become less rare than they once were; there have been several billion-dollar jackpots across Powerball and Mega Millions in recent years. A combination of long odds, aggressive marketing, and the simple allure of a generational prize drives ticket sales during long rolls, which in turn pushes the advertised top prize ever higher.
If you do decide to play, remember a few practical points: sign the back of your ticket, keep it in a safe place, and check numbers carefully (most states list prize tiers and claim procedures online). If you win a large prize, consult lawyers, tax professionals and financial advisers before deciding on lump-sum versus annuity options.
Powerball drawings happen three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Saturday — so the next chance to take home the growing jackpot is Monday night. Whether you’re checking a quick ticket on your phone or holding a paper slip bought at a corner store, now is the time to double-check those numbers.