The lottery craze continues—just in time for the holidays! Powerball prizes top $1.5 billion, and Florida recently won five consecutive $1 million prizes in less than a month, a win for the Sunshine State.
As the lottery industry says, “It could happen to you.”
The jackpot for Saturday, Dec. 20 jumped to $1.5 billion after no one matched all five numbers as well as the Powerball in the Wednesday, Dec. 17 Powerball drawing. According to Powerball Online, if there is a jackpot winner and they are willing to win cash, the one-time prize would be $686.5 million.
The jackpot is the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot ever and one of 14 lottery jackpots of $1 billion or more (see below). Check back after 11 PM ET for Saturday, December 20, Powerball winning numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or chance of a bigger windfall during Hanukkah and before Christmas.
In case you were wondering, the winning numbers for Wednesday, December 17th were 25-33-53-62-66 and the Powerball number was 17. The power bet number is 4x.
While the result was a rollover, it wasn’t all bad news: Eight lucky tickets won big in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing. Tickets purchased in Arizona and Massachusetts are eligible for five matches and $2 million in Power Play bonuses. New York has three five-game winning tickets, and Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have one each.
coincide? Interesting facts about Powerball, Mega Millions and their winners
There have been other recent Florida Powerball wins – five drawings in less than a month:
-
The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, December 13 were 1-28-31-57-58 and the Powerball number was 16. Power bet numbers are 2x. Although there was no jackpot that Saturday, several other tickets were lucky. The player from Florida is one of five players (California, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia) who will match five for a $1 million prize. Two lucky tickets, one from North Carolina and one from Pennsylvania, matched 5 plus the Power Play prize of $2 million.
-
On Monday, December 8, the Powerball numbers were 8-32-52-56-64 and the Powerball number was 23. Power bet is 2x. While those numbers yielded another jackpot, there’s good news for local Powerball players: The only second-place prize in Monday’s Powerball drawing came from Florida. The ticket for the $1 million prize was purchased at a 7-Eleven at 3991 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart, Florida, part of the Treasure Coast.
-
The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, December 6 were 13-14-26-28-44 and the Powerball number was 7. Power bet numbers are 2x. While those numbers didn’t win the jackpot, it wasn’t all bad news: One ticket purchased in Florida and two tickets purchased in Georgia and Texas matched five numbers to win the $1 million prize. Even luckier, a ticket purchased in New Jersey matched 5 tickets and Power Play to win the $2 million prize. Local Powerball winners purchased their winning tickets from Circle K (2809 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, Florida).
-
For the Wednesday, December 3 Powerball drawing – the winning numbers were 1-14-20-46-51 and Powerball 26, Power Play 3x – there were three big winners in the Powerball drawing. One Florida and one California ticket matched 5 each for a $1 million prize. Even luckier, a ticket purchased in Kentucky matched the 5 plus Power Play prize, resulting in a $2 million prize. The local $1 million Powerball ticket was purchased at Town Star, 1305 W. Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka, Florida. This is a quick option.
-
Finally, the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday weekend Powerball drawing on Saturday, November 29th matched 5 numbers and won $1 million. The winning numbers for this Quick Ballot are 19-22-30-32-59 and the Powerball is 1. Power Play is 2. Express ballots are purchased from Thorntons (425 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, Florida).
Two tickets from Fredericksburg, Texas and St. Louis, Missouri won the $1.787 billion Powerball drawing on September 6, and the current jackpot has rolled over more than 40 times since it reset to $20 million on September 8.
The Mega Millions lottery is also generating quite a bit of buzz this holiday season, and on Friday, November 14, a ticket from a Georgia Publix matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball to win a whopping $980 million. The Mega Millions jackpot tops the list of the largest Mega Millions jackpots ever, nearly becoming the second billion-dollar lottery jackpot in 2025 and the 14th lottery jackpot in Mega Millions and Powerball history.
Dear shoppers, please note: Publix sells billions of dollars worth of Mega Millions and Powerball tickets. review
Tickets start at $2 each. According to the Florida Lottery, here’s information about lottery odds, how long you have to claim cash options if you purchase your ticket in Florida, and what happens to unclaimed winnings.
Good luck!
Who were Edwin Castro and Rosemary Casarotti? Powerball, Mega Millions billion dollar winners list, who won, who walked away with one-time cash
Did anyone win Powerball? What are the winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, December 20, 2025?
Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday (including holidays) at 11pm Eastern Time. Check back for the Saturday, December 20th Powerball winning numbers and Power Play. We’ll wait and see if a big winner emerges soon after the historic $1.8 billion Powerball, or if there’s a chance for more during the 2025 holiday season.
What are the cash options? After Powerball $1.8 billion, how much will Texas and Missouri winners take home?
How long has Powerball been rolling?
The current Powerball winning streak began on Monday, September 8, after a ticket purchased in Fredericksburg, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri, matched all five numbers in the $1.787 billion drawing on September 6, 2025, as well as the Powerball numbers.
Here’s a review of draws and stakes, and how much the jackpot has grown over time.
-
Saturday, December 20: $1.5 billion
When is the next Powerball drawing? What are the chances of winning the Powerball lottery?
Powerball drawings are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays (including holidays) at 11pm ET. Whether the jackpot is $20 million or $2 billion, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance of matching all six numbers, according to Powerball.com. Prizes range in value from $2 to the grand jackpot.
The next Powerball drawing will take place on Monday, December 22, just days before the 2025 Christmas holiday.
What are the odds? Florida Lottery game draws have consecutive numbers: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
Florida Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days (six months) of the drawing date. To claim the single payment cash option, winners may claim within the first 60 days of the applicable drawing date.
The Florida Lottery said its scratch-off and Fast Play game prizes “must be claimed within 60 days of the official game end date. Once the applicable time period has passed, the associated Florida Lottery will expire.”
Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?
According to the Florida Lottery website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law requires the Florida Lottery to provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence, winning game, date of the win and prize amount to any third party that requests the information.”
However, the website notes that “the names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or more will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date of claim, unless the winner is otherwise exempt.”
Lottery experts and attorneys say there are ways to stay anonymous if you win.
What are the top 10 Powerball jackpots in history?
Here are the top 10 Powerball jackpots in the game’s history as of December 20, 2025:
10. $758.7 million – August 23, 2017; Massachusetts
9. $768.4 million – March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
8. $842.4 million – January 1, 2024; Michigan
7. $1.08 billion – July 19, 2023; California
6. $1.33 billion – April 6, 2024; Oregon
5. $1.5 billion – December 20, 2025? To be determined
4. $1.586 billion – January 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
3. $1.765 Billion Powerball Draw – October 11, 2023; California
2. $1.787 billion – September 6, 2025; Missouri and Texas
1. $2.04 billion – November 7, 2022; California
When will Mega Millions and Powerball lottery jackpots hit $1 billion or more? What is the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history?
As of December 20, 2025, 14 lottery jackpots have reached or exceeded $1 billion. Only once has the jackpot exceeded $2 billion. It is the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
-
$1.58 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot, August 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC, Miami, Florida
-
On October 23, 2018, an anonymous player in South Carolina won a Mega Millions jackpot worth $1.537 billion.
-
$1.5 billion Powerball jackpot, December 20, 2025? To be determined
-
$1.348 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot, January 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, Tickets Purchased in Lebanon, ME
-
An anonymous partner won the $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot on July 29, 2022, with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
-
$1.326 Billion Powerball Prize, April 6, 2024 Cheng, Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
-
On March 26, 2024, an anonymous winner in New Jersey won the $1.128 billion Mega Millions jackpot with a ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
-
$1.08 Billion Powerball Prize, July 19, 2023 Yanira Alvarez, California
-
On January 22, 2021, the Wolverine FLL Club in Oakland County, Michigan won the $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot
(This story will be updated to include new information.)
This article originally appeared in The Palm Beach Post: Will the Powerball winner take home the $1.5 billion jackpot on Saturday, December 20, 2025?
