Updated with retailer that sold winning ticket
By Todd Northrop
One Powerball lottery ticket sold in Maryland won the sixth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history on Wednesday night.
The lucky numbers for the $731.1 million jackpot were 40, 53, 60, 68, and 69, with Powerball number 22. The Power Play multiplier was 3. The top prize was adjusted upwards from the initial estimate of $730 million after all proceeds were counted Wednesday night.
The lump sum payout for the single winning ticket is a jaw-dropping $546.8 million.
The winning ticket was sold at Coney Market in Lonaconing, which is in Allegany County in the Northwest part of the state, bordering Pennsylvania. Coney Market will receive a $100,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
Maryland lottery spokeswoman Carole Gentry said Wednesday night's Powerball win is by far the largest prize in the Maryland Lottery's history, easily outdistancing the $218.6 million share of a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot claimed anonymously by The Three Amigos in the March 30, 2012 drawing.
The jackpot winner has the choice to take the $731.1 million paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years or the $546.8 million lump sum payment. The annuity payments increase by 5% each year. All prize amounts are subject to federal and state tax, the results of which can be seen on the Powerball Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega.
"Congratulations to our winners in the Powerball drawing," said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon Medenica in a press release. "This is a truly exciting day for Maryland as we wait to see who will step forward to claim the jackpot!"
Lottery winners in Maryland have the right to remain anonymous to claim the prize. Lottery claiming deadlines (typically 182 days) have been extended during Maryland's COVID-19 state of emergency. Any ticket that reaches its expiration date while the state of emergency remains in effect can still be redeemed for up to 30 days after the date that the state of emergency is lifted.
The Powerball jackpot had grown since September, when a ticket sold in New York won a $94.8 million jackpot. That winning ticket was sold at Minogue's Beverage on Route 9 in Ballston Spa, and was claimed by a Malta man who received a one-time lump sum payment totaling $50,868,332 after required withholdings.
The Jan. 20 drawing was the 36th since that last winner, making this the longest jackpot roll in Powerball history.
The Powerball jackpot resets to its starting point of $20 million for Saturday's drawing.
The odds of hitting Wednesday's grand prize was 1 in about 292 million. But Powerball says 1 in every 24.87 tickets wins a prize, starting at $4.
Lottery players disappointed that they did not win all of that cash still have a prime opportunity to play for one of the biggest lottery jackpots of all time right now. The multi-state Mega Millions jackpot is currently approaching $1 billion, with a lump-sum cash option of $716.3 million.
In the Wednesday Powerball drawing, 13 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 2 from California, 2 from Georgia, 2 from Illinois, 1 from Maine, 1 from Maryland, 1 from Michigan, 3 from New Jersey, and 1 from Oregon.
Only one of the second-prize winners — in the apparently-lucky state of Maryland — purchased the Power Play option for an extra $1 per play, doubling their prize to $2 million.
The two California winners will share the $1,199,278 second prize pool in the state, winning $599,639 each. By law, California awards all prizes on a pari-mutuel basis, meaning the prizes will change each drawing based on the number of tickets sold and the number of tickets that won at each prize level. If nobody wins the money allocated for a prize level, that money is carried over to the next drawing.
Also in the Wednesday drawing, 122 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $50,000. Of those tickets, 18 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $150,000, and 16 of the tickets were sold in California, where the prize was worth $19,188 this drawing.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, a second-prize win is doubled and any other non-jackpot prize is multplied by the Power Play number drawn that evening.
A full chart of payout amounts and the official drawing video can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.
Power Play is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered in Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts.
The next Powerball drawing will take place Saturday night at 10:59 pm Eastern Time.
Powerball is played in 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot was the 6th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 4th-largest Powerball jackpot ever.
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $970 million, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
- Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $636 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
- Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Powerball: $559.7 million, Jan. 6, 2018 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $543 million, Jul. 24, 2018 (22 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $536 million, Jul. 8, 2016 (34 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $533 million, Mar. 30, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $522 million, Jun. 7, 2019 (24 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Powerball: $487 million, Jul. 30, 2016 (23 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Hampshire
- Powerball: $456.7 million, Mar. 17, 2018 (19 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Pennsylvania
- Mega Millions: $451 million, Jan. 5, 2018 (23 rollovers, starting at $15 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $448.4 million, Aug. 7, 2013 (12 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Minnesota, New Jersey (2)
- Powerball: $447.8 million, Jun. 10, 2017 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
- Powerball: $435.3 million, Feb. 22, 2017 (18 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Indiana
- Powerball: $429.6 million, May 7, 2016 (18 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $425.3 million, Feb. 19, 2014 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 16
- Mega Millions: 9
Top 25 cash value jackpots
The Wednesday Powerball jackpot ranks as the 4th-largest cash value in U.S. history.
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $716.3 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($970 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $476.9 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
- Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
- Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
- Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
- Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $352 million cash, Jan. 6, 2018 ($559.7 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $347.6 million cash, Dec. 17, 2013 ($636 million annuity) - California, Georgia
- Mega Millions: $340 million cash, Jun. 7, 2019 ($522 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $336.8 million cash, Jul. 30, 2016 ($487 million annuity) - New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $324 million cash, Mar. 30, 2018 ($533 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $320.5 million cash, Jul. 24, 2018 ($543 million annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $319.9 million cash, Jun. 9, 2020 ($414 million annuity) - Arizona
- Powerball: $284 million cash, May 7, 2016 ($429.6 million annuity) - New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $281.9 million cash, Jan. 5, 2018 ($451 million annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $279.1 million cash, Jun. 10, 2017 ($447.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $276.5 million cash, Jan. 29, 2020 ($396.9 million annuity) - Florida
- Powerball: $273.9 million cash, Mar. 17, 2018 ($456.7 million annuity) - Pennsylvania
- Powerball: $263.5 million cash, Feb. 22, 2017 ($435.3 million annuity) - Indiana
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
Oh nice I wonder if it was one of my tickets.
Someone in Maryland did not sleep last night! Congrats to that person!!! WOW!! 💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵
Congrats, don't spend it all at once.
Wednesday, Jan 20, 2021 40-53-60-68-69 PB: 22 POWER PLAY: 3
Missouri players got some change!
MO Power
Play Prizes
Congrats to the winner(s)!
I matched 2 numbers for nothing on the first ticket I got. In a stupid burst of hope I bought a second ticket which matched 1 number for nothing.
The second prize in Michigan was sold 10 miles away from another second prize that was won in the run-up to the 1.5 billion Jackpot in 2016.
Those, so far, are the only big PowerBall prizes in Upper Michigan since they started selling PB here 11 years ago.
Good luck to the winner. I hope they take their time and not rush into any decisions. Hopefully, the winner we get professional independent legal and financial advice.
I hope Maryland allow winners to remain anonymous. If so, the winner should certainly do so.
In 2013, a single winning ticket was sold at Festival food in Houghton Michigan jackpot was worth $19 million
Maryland is one of a few states that allow winners to remain anonymous.
Here is the current anonymity status for each state: https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/326232
Thank you Todd as the list you linked was very informative and comprehensive.
I think Powerball and Mega is a total joke.
When they get real high only 1 winner wins most of time.
Like what is someone going to do with all that money ?
I wouldn't waste a dime on them.
People put out tons of money for what to make the lottery richer.
It's very difficult to win for sure....Darn near impossible. However you definitely won't win if you don't play. Perhaps the winning ticket belongs to a lottery pool.
Congratulations Maryland!!!! Happy it was a different state than California, New Jersey and New York 😀😃😄😁
Sounds like it close to Site R for those who know what that is!