Powerball jackpot winners can collect anonymously in certain states. Here's where
If someone wins the jackpot in Saturday's Powerball drawing, there is a possibility that person's identity will never be known.
Laws in 18 states allow lottery winners to collect prizes anonymously, meaning that we may never know who wins the estimated $750 million dollar jackpot.
In 2022, the winners of a Mega Millions jackpot in Illinois remained anonymous under state law, with the Illinois Lottery describing them as, “two individuals, who agreed to split the prize if won – and they stayed true to that word," in a press release.
Here are the places where winners can anonymously claim lottery prizes, and the requirements for them.
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Where winners can claim the Powerball jackpot anonymously
- Arizona: prize must be over $100,000
- Delaware: any prize
- Georgia: prize must be over $250,000
- Illinois: prize must be over $250,000
- Kansas: any prize
- Maryland: any prize
- Michigan: prize must be over $10,000
- Minnesota: prize must be over $10,000
- Mississippi: any prize
- Missouri: any prize
- Montana: any prize
- New Jersey: any prize
- North Dakota: any prize
- South Carolina: any prize
- Texas: prize must be over $1 million
- Virginia: prize must be greater than $10 million
- West Virginia: prize must be over $1 million
- Wyoming: any prize
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What is the largest Powerball jackpot ever?
If the right six numbers are pulled Saturday night, the jackpot would land as the eighth largest win of all time.
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: Won in California
- $1.586 billion, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee.
- $1.080 Billion, July 19, 2023: Won in California.
- $768.4 million, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin.
- $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts.
- $754.6 Million, Feb. 6, 2023: Won in Washington.
- $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland.
- $699.8 Million, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California.
- $687.8 Million, Oct. 27, 2018: Won in Iowa and New York.
- $632.6 Million, Jan. 5, 2022: Won in California and Wisconsin
What are the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are long. Players have a one in 292,201,338 shot at winning the grand prize, a one in 11,688,053.52 shot at winning the $1 million prize and a one in 24.87 chance of winning any prize.
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How to play Powerball
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play.
Players must match five white balls numbered one through 69 and one of 26 red powerballs to win the jackpot.
