US Powerball jackpot hits $1bn as ticket sales skyrocket
Jackpot.com says it is experiencing a sharp increase in player activity as the Powerball jackpot climbs to an estimated $1 billion ahead of Wednesday night’s draw, marking the first time the game has reached the billion-dollar milestone in 2026.
The prize is the largest offered by any US lottery this year and ranks as the eighth-largest Powerball jackpot in the game’s history. Winners can alternatively choose a lump-sum cash payment estimated at $433.1 million.
The jackpot has continued to grow after 43 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner since two tickets sold in Florida and Texas shared a $20 million top prize on May 2. Wednesday’s drawing will be the 44th in the current rollover, making it the second-longest jackpot run in Powerball’s 34-year history.
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Should the jackpot remain unclaimed, the current streak would tie the all-time record on Monday, August 17, before setting a new record with the following draw on August 19.
Licensed lottery courier service Jackpot.com, which operates across Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, said the growing jackpot has prompted more occasional lottery players to return.
“This is the most exciting run of the year,” said Dharin Nanavati, Chief Growth Officer at Jackpot.com.
“People who play once or twice a year are coming back for this one, and that is exactly the moment we built the experience for. A few taps and your numbers are locked in, your ticket is in your account, and we take care of the rest so you can just enjoy the draw.”
The courier allows customers to order official state lottery tickets through its app, with local teams purchasing tickets on players’ behalf before scanning them into customer accounts and automatically checking results after each draw.
Arkansas, one of the seven states served by Jackpot.com, has emerged as a recent Powerball hotspot after producing winners of both the $1.817 billion Christmas Eve jackpot in 2025 and a $250.8 million prize claimed on March 2 this year.
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play, with draws held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The odds of winning the jackpot remain 1 in 292.2 million, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9.
