Powerball Jackpot Reaches $1.7 Billion Ahead of Christmas Eve Drawing

AUSTIN, TX – As last-minute shopping ramps up and holiday hopes run high, Texas Lottery® players will be dreaming big this Christmas Eve as the Powerball® Grand Prize has snowballed to an estimated annuitized $1.7 billion for the Wednesday, Dec. 24 drawing. The current advertised jackpot prize is the fourth largest in both Powerball and U.S. lottery history and carries an estimated cash value worth of $781.3 million.

“A Christmas Eve drawing paired with a jackpot of this size is a rare combination and creates the possibility of a memorable win for our players,” said Courtney Arbour, executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which oversees the Texas Lottery. “As interest builds ahead of tomorrow night’s drawing, Powerball sales continue to be strong in Texas, helping to support public education across the state. While this is a thrilling time to get in the game, we encourage everyone to play responsibly and remind players not to purchase tickets for anyone under 18 years of age.”

Wednesday’s Powerball drawing will be the 47th in the current jackpot run since starting at an estimated annuitized $20 million for the Sept. 8 drawing, marking the longest jackpot run in Powerball history. This is the game’s second largest prize of the year, only behind the $1.787 billion jackpot prize for the Sept. 6 drawing, which produced two winning tickets, including one in Texas. A share of that jackpot was claimed by Seven Bridges Revocable Trust, of Fredericksburg, while the other share was claimed by a winner from Missouri. Since joining the game in 2010, Texas has had three Powerball jackpot winners.

In Powerball history, this marks only the second time that the game has produced back-to-back jackpots exceeding $1 billion. The only other occurrence was in 2023, when a $1.08 billion jackpot was won on July 19, followed by a $1.765 billion jackpot won on Oct. 11 of that year.

In total 332,054 winning tickets – with prizes ranging from $4 to $100,000 – were purchased in the state for the Monday, Dec. 22 drawing. While no one secured the jackpot prize, 10 lucky Texas Lottery players matched four of the five white balls and the red Powerball number, winning prizes of $50,000 or more. Two of those tickets were purchased with the Power Play® option for an extra $1, increasing the prize to $100,000, as the Power Play number for the draw was 2. Since the start of 2025, 18 Texas Lottery players have won second-tier Powerball prizes of $1 million or larger. Most recently, a winning ticket worth $1 million was sold in Fort Worth for the Dec. 6 drawing and claimed by a Keller resident.

Powerball Grand Prizes currently start at $20 million and roll until the jackpot is won. Players win the Grand Prize by matching five numbers from a field of 69 numbers and one Powerball number from a field of 26 numbers. By choosing Power Play for $1 more per Play, players can multiply their non-Grand Prize winnings by two, three, four, five or 10 times*. A Power Play Match Five (5+0) prize is set at $2 million regardless of the Power Play number selected. All other non-Grand Prizes will be multiplied by the Power Play number selected. (*The 10X Power Play multiplier is available for drawings in which the initially advertised annuitized Grand Prize amount is $150 million or less.).

Texas Lottery players may select how to be paid if they win the jackpot prize – annual payments (annuity) or cash value (lump sum) – only at the time of purchase. The annuitized Grand Prize is paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, with each payment after the initial payment increasing by five percent. The Texas Lottery advises players to seek financial guidance when weighing their options.

For players that may hold the jackpot-winning ticket after a drawing, the Texas Lottery recommends they sign the ticket, put it in a safe place, seek legal and financial advice, and then contact the Texas Lottery to schedule an appointment to claim the prize.

Drawings are broadcast each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:12 p.m. CT. Texas Lottery players can purchase Powerball tickets at more than 19,000 Texas Lottery retailers across the state. Ticket sales for the next Powerball drawing will close at 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 24 The retailer that sells a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket is eligible to receive a bonus of up to $250,000.