Powerball: $847m in New Jersey – why US jackpots climb so high

On Wednesday 4 November 2026, a single ticket matched all six Powerball numbers: 15 34 41 53 56 and Powerball 21. It was sold at the Wegmans supermarket in Montvale, Bergen County (New Jersey). Advertised jackpot: $847 million, or $363.1 million as a lump sum, both before taxes. It is the ninth-largest jackpot in Powerball history, less than three months after $1.04 billion in Illinois.

Montvale is a well-off borough of 9,600 people, home to several large company offices: the median household income is over $178,000, twice the US median of $87,460 (New York Post, citing US Census data). For chance, this changes nothing: a ticket has exactly the same odds everywhere; only the number of tickets sold in a store matters.

Two mega jackpots in three months

On 12 August 2026, a ticket sold at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy (Illinois) won $1.04 billion, on the 44th draw of a run that began on 4 May. The jackpot then reset to $20 million. It took 36 draws, from 15 August to 4 November, before it was won again, at $847 million. According to the New Jersey Lottery, it is the seventh Powerball jackpot won in 2026, out of 132 draws: about one every 19 draws. In EuroMillions, the jackpot is won on average once every 4 to 5 draws.

The two wins now rank 8th and 9th. Eight of the ten largest Powerball jackpots have been won since 2023:

Why the jackpots climb so high

1. Very long odds. Since October 2015, Powerball has been played with 5 numbers from 69 and 1 Powerball from 26. The jackpot odds are 1 in 292,201,338, against 1 in 175,223,510 before the change. Fewer winners mean longer runs, and the jackpots have time to grow. For comparison, EuroMillions and Eurojackpot are 1 in 139,838,160.

2. No cap. EuroMillions stops at €250 million and Eurojackpot at €120 million. Powerball has no limit: it keeps growing as long as nobody wins.

3. An advertised annuity. The $847 million is 30 payments that increase every year, over 29 years. The lump sum is only $363.1 million, 43% of the advertised amount. The headline figure therefore also depends on interest rates: the higher they are, the bigger the advertised annuity for the same real money.

4. More players, now from the UK. Since 21 July 2026, Powerball has also been sold in the United Kingdom (an agreement between the US lottery association and Allwyn UK). These sales go only to the jackpot. The run won in New Jersey is the first one in which UK players took part from start to finish.

Why it is won in the end

The odds of a ticket never change. What changes is the number of tickets sold as the jackpot rises. If every combination were chosen at random, the chance of at least one winner would be about 7% with 20 million tickets, 29% with 100 million, 50% with 200 million and 64% with 300 million. A jackpot is never "due": it is the crowd of players that eventually brings it down.

What the winner will really get

The winner had not come forward as of 5 November. They have one year from the draw to claim, and since a law of January 2020, New Jersey lets winners stay anonymous. In the US, lottery winnings are taxed: the federal government withholds 24% and the top rate is 37%. New Jersey also withholds 8% on prizes over $500,000. Of the $363.1 million lump sum, well under $250 million will be left.

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