Powerball numbers for Saturday, Dec. 16, a $535 million jackpot just before Christmas

Jennifer Sangalang, Florida Today
Updated ·7 min read

Want to be a multimillionaire overnight and just in time for the holidays? Consider playing the Powerball, which now has a jackpot worth more than half-a-billion dollars.

After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the Wednesday, Dec. 13, drawing for $500 million, the grand prize jumped to $535 million for Saturday, Dec. 16, just a week before Christmas.

Though that's a lot of dough, it's not quite large enough to be in the Top 10 biggest jackpots in U.S. history (see below). Saturday numbers were 3-9-10-20-62 and the Powerball was 25. Power Play was 3x. And we have another rollover, meaning for Monday, Dec. 18, one week before Christmas Day, the Powerball jackpot climbs to $543 million, with a cash value of $272.2 million.

There were some big winners from Saturday, though. Two tickets, one purchased in New Jersey and the other in Wisconsin, matched 5 for a $1 million prize.

In case you’re wondering, Wednesday numbers were 3-8-41-56-64 and the Powerball was 18. Power Play was 2x. It wasn’t all bad news, though: There were two winners from Arizona and Texas that matched five numbers and the Power Play to win $2 million each, and two people from New York and New Jersey matched five to win $1 million each.

With another rollover, the Powerball jackpot is now $535 million, with a cash option of $268.2 million for Saturday's drawing.

Powerball tickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about Powerball, Florida Lottery and lottery odds. Good luck!

How much was the Powerball lottery jackpot for Saturday, Dec. 16?

an estimated $535 million with a cash option of $268.2 million

How much was the Powerball lottery jackpot for Wednesday, Dec. 13?

an estimated $500 million with a cash option of $240.7 million

How much was the Powerball lottery jackpot for Monday, Dec. 11?

an estimated $477 million with a cash option of $229.7 million

How long has Powerball rolled over?

This series of Powerball lottery drawings started after the Oct. 14 rollover. Here's a recap of the drawings and how much the jackpot has grown (in so short a time):

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How many Florida Lottery retailers are in Florida?

There are more than 13,000 authorized Florida Lottery retailers here, the site states.

I bought Powerball ticket in another state. Can I cash in my winnings in Florida?

No. Powerball prizes must be claimed in the state where the ticket was purchased, the Florida Lottery says.

When do Florida Lottery tickets expire?

Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it. Florida Lottery says its scratch-off tickets and Fast Play game prizes "must be claimed within 60 days of the official end-of-game date. Once the applicable time period has elapsed, the related Florida Lottery ticket will expire."

What happens to the unclaimed prize money?

According to the Florida Lottery, state law requires 80% of unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets be transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20% is returned to the prize pool for future drawings.

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What happens to unclaimed Powerball prize money?

Should a Powerball ticket not be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date, the Florida Lottery site states, "the funds to pay the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series." According to Powerball's site, "unclaimed prizes are kept by the lottery jurisdiction. If a Grand Prize goes unclaimed, the money must be returned to all lotteries in proportion to their sales for the draw run. The lotteries then distribute the money, based on their own jurisdiction's laws, to other lottery games or to their jurisdiction's general fund, or otherwise as required by law."

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What are the odds of winning Powerball lottery game?

Powerball drawings are held at 11 p.m. EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. According to Powerball.com, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.

Are the odds of winning Powerball the same if the jackpot is $1 billion?

Players have a 1 in 24.9 chance of winning a prize, powerball.com states. Players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $20 million or $1 billion.

Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?

According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."

However, the site states, since May 25, 2022, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."

Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.

When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more?

As of Dec. 16, 2023, there have been nine lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion.

Who won, how long did it take to win Powerball, Mega Millions and those billion-dollar jackpots?

What are the Top 10 biggest Powerball jackpots in history?

Here are the Top 10 Powerball jackpots as of Dec. 16, 2023:

What are the Top 10 largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history?

The following Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots made the Top 10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, as of Dec. 16, 2023.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Anyone win Powerball lottery on Saturday, December 16, 2023?