Powerball Jackpot Soars to $650 Million Ahead of Monday Drawing

(New York Daily News/TNS) − Monday night’s Powerball drawing will feature a $650 million grand prize, the second-highest jackpot of the year, according to lottery leaders.

No one matched all six winning numbers — white balls 7, 23, 24, 32, 43 and red Powerball 18— for the 34th consecutive drawing on Saturday night, rolling over the grand prize money once again. Three people matched the first five numbers without the Powerball, taking home $1 million each.

If someone wins Monday’s drawing and elects to take the instant cash prize, Powerball will pay out $328.3 million, the lottery said Sunday in a press release.

The Powerball grand prize was last won on April 19, when a single player in Ohio matched all six numbers. The biggest win of the year came in February, when a ticket buyer in Washington claimed a $754.6 million grand prize. That was the fifth-highest jackpot in the lottery’s history, dating back to 1992.

The biggest jackpot in Powerball history was won in November 2022, when Edwin Castro of California claimed the $2.4 billion prize. Castro took the lump sum payment of $997.6 million. A few months later, he bought a $25 million home in the Hollywood Hills.

Castro did not attend the California Lottery’s press conference to announce his win. In a statement, he said, “I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing.”