What would you do if a single white ticket turned your life sideways? Stroll through the Mall of America this week and you’ll get the usual fantasy answers — a new house, an exotic trip — but also something quieter: time with family, a chance to breathe.
That sense of wishful practicality captured the strange mood around the Powerball that swelled to an estimated $1.7 billion ahead of the Dec. 24 drawing. The jackpot — enormous even by today’s lottery standards — arrived after Monday night’s draw produced no grand-prize winner, keeping alive a streak that has now stretched into a record number of drawings.
The latest draw and the numbers to remember
The Dec. 22 drawing produced the white balls 3, 18, 36, 41 and 54, with the red Powerball 7. The Power Play multiplier was 2x.
No ticket matched all six numbers, so the top prize rolled over. But the draw wasn’t without winners: nine tickets matched the five white balls (Match 5) and the Power Play, each worth $1 million. Those million-dollar tickets were sold in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York (two), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
According to the official Powerball site, the annuitized jackpot was listed at about $1.7 billion, with a lump-sum cash option roughly in the neighborhood of $781.3 million — both figures before taxes. If the jackpot finally lands on Wednesday night, the winner will need to decide fast between the annuity (30 escalating payments) and the one-time cash haul.
How big is “big”? The math and the history
The odds haven’t changed: about 1 in 292.2 million to hit the jackpot. Still, billion-dollar prizes are becoming less rare. This $1.7 billion total ranks among the largest U.S. lottery jackpots ever, in the company of a $2.04 billion Powerball in 2022 and a $1.787 billion split prize in September 2025.
The ongoing jackpot run set a new-game record for the number of consecutive drawings in the cycle, a detail the lottery highlighted as the pot climbed.
People, plans and the quieter hopes
Reporters who stopped shoppers at the Mall of America found that many people’s first impulse wasn’t jets or mansions but family: paying off relatives’ debts, retiring parents, or simply getting everyone together for the holidays. One shopper told CBS News she’d move closer to family; another said what she really wanted was time — a reminder that money often buys options rather than instant joy.
That theme matters. Windfalls can solve problems — but they also create new ones. Sudden attention, requests from friends and strangers, and pressure to act quickly are as common as the champagne dreams.
If you win: experts’ warnings (and what winners regret)
Financial planners and wealth advisors who’ve worked with lottery winners repeat similar advice:
- Don’t rush. Claiming the prize impulsively, quitting a job immediately, or writing large checks before talking to professionals are frequent pitfalls.
- Assemble a vetted team (attorney, tax specialist, fiduciary advisor) before making headline decisions.
- Think through anonymity and privacy. Publicity can invite scams, lawsuits and constant requests.
- Create a gifting and philanthropy framework. Ad hoc generosity often leads to family conflict and money that disappears faster than expected.
- Model both the lump-sum and annuity options with realistic tax and spending scenarios — the headline number is always pre-tax and the net result can be much smaller.
The federal government will withhold 24% automatically from a lump-sum payment, but winners often end up owing more once federal tax brackets and state taxes (where applicable) are tallied. That’s why the initial headline figure can shrink dramatically on paper.
The human element matters more than the headline
There’s a pattern in many post-win profiles: the initial thrill gives way to logistics and relationships. Some past winners have thrived by moving slowly, hiring experts, and using the windfall to build a plan with purpose; others have struggled when they treated the money as infinite or kept poor boundaries with friends and family.
If you’re playing for fun this holiday, the numbers and the odds are worth a glance. If you’re one ticket away from life-changing money, remember the quieter list of winners’ priorities: privacy, trusted advisors, a plan for gifts and charity, and time to breathe.
For official jackpot figures and the latest drawing updates, see the Powerball website. For federal tax withholding and basic tax guidance related to lump-sum lottery proceeds, the IRS provides details on withholding and tax treatment.