Powerball jackpot touches $600 million for October 17 drawing - Here's what Saturday night's winner could take home

The current Powerball jackpot has risen to an astronomical $600 million for the Saturday, October 17 draw after no one was able to match the winning combination of five white balls and one red Powerball in the last drawing that occurred on Wednesday. The current lottery offers a new opportunity for people throughout the country to dream big and if someone is lucky enough to match all the six winning numbers, he will get to take home the gigantic amount. However, there is a major caveat.

The advertised jackpot prize of $600 million is actually distributed via an annuity that spans over 30 years. Those who wish to receive their winnings instantly have the option of receiving a one-time cash payout of $246 million, which is comparatively smaller. In either case, the winners will have to pay tax on their winnings, which means that they will not get the entire amount.

POWERBALL'S MASSIVE JACKPOTS CONTINUE IN 2026

Winning the jackpot is highly impossible due to the low probability of winning which has a mere 1 out of 292.2 million chances of picking the right six numbers. But this fact never stopped people from getting lucky and winning the jackpots in the year 2026. The largest Powerball Jackpot that was ever won occurred in Illinois on August 12, where one lucky person was able to pick all the six numbers right thus winning an unbelievable jackpot prize amount of $1.04 billion dollars. This massive jackpot was built through 44 drawings straight without any winner.

The winner from Illinois could choose between two ways of claiming their winnings: receiving the $1.04 billion dollars in 30 installments or accepting about $450.5 million in cash before taxes.

Apart from Illinois, there were other states which produced winners of the Powerball in 2026. In January of the same year, a Powerball lottery winner in North Carolina earned about $209.3 million and in March, a lucky winner in Arkansas won a whopping $250.8 million. This is just a way of reminding everyone that even if the probability of winning the Powerball lottery is very slim, one can still strike it rich.

HOW HIGH CAN THE POWERBALL JACKPOT GO?

This is due to the reason that the jackpot rises rapidly because of the failure of any individual to get the six numbers. The jackpot rises because it goes into the next round until it becomes millions or even billions of money. In the history of the Powerball game, the maximum amount of jackpot that has been ever won is around $2.04 billion in the year 2022. There have also been two jackpots of over $1.7 billion; one was $1.817 billion in 2025 and another one was $1.787 billion.

The winners need not necessarily pick all the six numbers to win big. The winner who picks all the five white balls but does not pick the red ball gets a prize of one million dollars before taxes. There is another option known as Power Play, which multiplies most of the non-jackpot prizes.

It is possible to buy tickets for the Powerball lottery in 45 states of the US along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Powerball continues to be popular for the reason that its large player base, large jackpots, and rollover feature. People who have bought their Powerball tickets develop anticipation for larger jackpots in each successive draw.

Powerball winning numbers for October 14

The winning numbers for October 14 (Wednesday): 03-34-37-42-46 and the Powerball is: 20. The Powerplay was 3X.

When is the next Powerball drawing?

The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Saturday, October 17. Powerball drawings take place three times a week - every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday - at approximately 10:59 PM ET.

What is the Powerball payout?

• Match 5 White Balls + Powerball: Jackpot
• Match 5 White Balls: $1 million
• Match 4 White Balls + Powerball: $50,000
• Match 4 White Balls: $100
• Match 3 White Balls + Powerball: $100
• Match 3 White Balls: $7
• Match 2 White Balls + Powerball: $7
• Match 1 White Ball + Powerball: $4
• Match Powerball: $4
• Match 5 White Balls with Power Play: $2 million
• Match 4 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $200,000
• Match 4 White Balls with Power Play: $400
• Match 3 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $400
• Match 3 White Balls with Power Play: $28
• Match 2 White Balls + Powerball with Power Play: $28
• Match 1 White Ball + Powerball with Power Play: $16
• Match Powerball with Power Play: $16

Deadline to buy Powerball tickets

Powerball ticket buying times vary from one state to another and, therefore, one should not take any chances. In New Jersey, ticket sales will end at 9:59 PM, but in New York, the sales will end at 10 PM.

How to play Powerball?

The cost of purchasing a ticket for the Powerball game is two dollars, while an extra dollar is required for the Power Play where non-jackpot prizes will be multiplied by five times and ten times if the jackpot is less than 150 million dollars.

Each participant selects his/her numbers ranging from 1 to 69 for the five white balls and one number from 1 to 26 for the Powerball. Alternatively, quick picks are made by lottery machine.

The amounts of prizes differ from four dollars when matching just the Powerball to one million dollars when five white balls are matched (except for California).

How many states have Powerball?

Powerball tickets can be bought in 45 states, including Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. In fact, it ranks among the most popular lottery games in America.

How to buy Powerball tickets?

The Powerball lottery tickets can be purchased physically at gas stations, convenience stores, supermarkets, and some airport terminal shops.

The other method to purchase Powerball tickets is by using the Jackpocket app online in selected states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington DC, and West Virginia.

Through the Jackpocket app, one can select the game of choice, pick numbers, order the ticket, and claim any winnings directly from the mobile phone or desktop computer.