Holiday jackpot: Powerball could make a billionaire this week
Powerball’s jackpot hits $1.25 billion, the sixth-largest ever, marking rare back-to-back billion-dollar prizes just before Christmas.
Scripps News
Did anyone win the Wednesday, Dec. 17 Powerball jackpot worth an estimated $1.25 billion?
One lucky winner stood to take home a one-time cash prize worth $572.1 million if they chose a one-time payout.
To win Powerball, players have to buy a ticket matching all five numbers and the Powerball — the odds of winning were 1 in 292,201,338 — and have the option to select a one-time cash payout.
See below for the winning numbers for the Dec. 17 Powerball drawing to see if you got the lucky ticket.
Powerball winning numbers for 12/17/2025 lottery drawing jackpot
The winning numbers in the Dec. 17 drawing were 25, 33, 53, 62, 66 and the Powerball was 17. The Power Play was 4x
Did anyone win the Dec. 17 Powerball jackpot?
Results have not been posted.
What time is the Powerball drawing? When is the next drawing? How to watch
The next Powerball drawing will be held at 10:59 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and are streamed live on the Powerball website.
How to check winning numbers
Check to see if you won through the Ohio Lottery or Powerball website.
Where can you buy Powerball tickets?
The Powerball is available in 45 states, including Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, as well as in Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Tickets are available for purchase at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Sales cut-off times often vary by one to two hours before the drawing, depending on where you’re buying your tickets.
You can also purchase tickets in Ohio through the Ohio Lottery website at www.ohiolottery.com.
What do Powerball lottery tickets cost?
A Powerball ticket costs $2 per play. Players can pay an extra $1 to add the Power Play for a chance to multiply all Powerball winnings, except for the jackpot. You can also add a Double Play for an additional $1 to have a second chance at winning $10 million.
How to play Powerball
Powerball costs $2 per play. In states like Idaho and Montana, it’s bundled with Power Play for a minimum purchase price of $3 per play.
Players can pick five numbers (or you can have them chosen randomly) between 1 and 69 for the white balls, then select one number between 1 and 26 for the red Powerball.
The “Power Play” multiplier can multiply winnings by: 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.
The Powerball jackpot continues to grow until someone wins. Players win a prize by matching one of nine ways to win. Players can only win the full jackpot by matching all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball.
Jackpot winners may choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump-sum payment. Both advertised prize options are before state, local, and/or federal taxes.
What are the 10 biggest Powerball jackpots in history?
None of the biggest Powerball winners bought their tickets in Ohio. Here are the Top 10 Powerball jackpots in the history of the game as of Sept. 3, 2025:
- 10. $754.6 million — Feb. 6, 2023; Washington
- 9. $758.7 million — Aug. 23, 2017; Massachusetts
- 8. $768.4 million — March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
- 7. $842.4 million — Jan. 1, 2024; Michigan
- 6. $1.08 billion — July 19, 2023; California
- 5. $1.33 billion — April 6, 2024; Oregon
- 4. $1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
- 3. $1.765 billion Powerball drawing — Oct. 11, 2023; California
- 2. $1.8 billion — Sept. 6, 2025; Missouri and Texas
- 1. $2.04 billion — Nov. 7, 2022; California
