The lottery frenzy continues – just in time for the holiday season! With Powerball at $1.5 billion and Florida on a recent hot streak of winning $1 million in less than a month, here’s a win for the Sunshine State.
As they say in the lottery business, “It could happen to you.”
After no one matched all five numbers and the Powerball in the Wednesday, December 17, Powerball drawing, the jackpot for Saturday, December 20 jumped to $1.5 billion. If there is one grand prize winner and they go for cash, the one-time lump sum would be $686.5 million, according to Powerball online.
The jackpot is Powerball’s fifth-largest of all time and 14 times the lottery jackpot has reached $1 billion or more (see below). Check back after 11pm ET on Saturday, December 20th for the winning Powerball numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or another chance at an even higher windfall during Hanukkah and before Christmas.
In case you were wondering, on Wednesday, December 17, the winning numbers were 25-33-53-62-66 and the Powerball was 17. The power play was 4x.
Although it turned out to be a rollover, it wasn’t all bad news: There were eight lucky tickets that won big in Wednesday’s Powerball drawing. Tickets purchased in Arizona and Massachusetts matched 5 plus power plays for a $2 million prize. And there were three Match 5 winning tickets in New York and one each in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
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There are also other recent Florida Powerball wins — five drawings in less than a month:
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On Saturday, December 13, the winning Powerball numbers were 1-28-31-57-58 and Powerball 16. The power play was 2x. Although the jackpot was not hit that Saturday, several other tickets were lucky. A Florida native was one of five (California, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia) who played 5 for the $1 million prize. Two lucky tickets, one from North Carolina and the other from Pennsylvania, matched the 5 Plus Power Play $2 million prize.
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On Monday, December 8, the Powerball numbers were 8-32-52-56-64 and the Powerball was 23. The power play was 2x. Although those numbers produced another rollover, it was good news for a local Powerball player: The only secondary prize from Monday’s Powerball drawing came from Florida. That ticket won the $1 million prize, purchased at 7-Eleven, 3991 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart, Florida, part of the Treasure Coast.
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On Saturday, December 6, the winning Powerball numbers were 13-14-26-28-44 and Powerball 7. The power play was 2x. Although those numbers didn’t hit the jackpot, it wasn’t all bad news: A ticket purchased in Florida and two from Georgia and Texas matched 5 for the $1 million prize. Even luckier was a ticket purchased in New Jersey, which matched 5 plus power plays for a $2 million prize. A local Powerball winner purchased their winning ticket from Circle K, 2809 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, Florida.
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For the Powerball lottery draw on Wednesday, Dec. 3 — 1-14-20-46-51 and Powerball 26, along with Power Play 3x — there were three big winners in that Powerball drawing. A Florida and California ticket each matched 5 for the $1 million prize. Even luckier, the ticket purchased by Kentucky matched 5 plus power plays for a $2 million prize. A local $1 million Powerball ticket was purchased at Town Star, 1305 W. Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka, Florida. It was a quick pick.
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And finally, the Saturday, November 29, 2025 Thanksgiving holiday weekend Powerball drawing ticket matched five numbers to win $1 million. The winning numbers from that quick pick ticket were 19-22-30-32-59 and the Powerball was 1. The power play was 2. Quick Pick tickets were purchased from Thorntons, 425 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, Florida.
The current jackpot has been rolled more than 40 times since resetting to $20 million on Sept. 8, when a pair of tickets from Fredericksburg, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri, won the $1.787 billion Powerball drawing on Sept. 6.
Mega Millions also had a lot of lottery frenzy this holiday season, with a Georgia Publix ticket winning a whopping $980 million on Friday, November 14, after matching all five numbers and the Mega Ball. That Mega Millions jackpot rose to the list of the biggest Mega Millions jackpots of all time and became the second lot for nearly $2 billion-20. On the history of Mega Millions and Powerball.
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Tickets start at $2 apiece. Below is what to know about lottery odds, how long it takes to claim the cash option if you buy a ticket in Florida, and what happens to unclaimed prize money, according to the Florida Lottery.
Good luck!
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Did anyone win Powerball? What are the Powerball numbers for Saturday, December 20, 2025?
Powerball Lottery drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11pm ET, including holidays. Check back on Saturday, December 20th for Powerball numbers and Power Play winners. We’ll see if there’s a big winner after the historic $1.8 billion Powerball or another chance for more money in the 2025 holiday season.
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How long has Powerball been?
The $1.787 billion drawing on September 6, 2025, with all five numbers and tickets purchased in Powerball, Texas, Fredericksburg, and St. Louis, Missouri, began the current Powerball streak on September 8.
Below is a recap of the drawings and rollovers and how much the jackpot has grown over time.
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Saturday, December 20: $1.5 billion
When is the next Powerball drawing? What are the odds of winning the Powerball lottery?
Powerball drawings are held at 11 a.m. ET on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays with holidays. Whether the jackpot is $20 million or $2 billion, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance of matching all six numbers, according to Powerball.com. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
The next Powerball drawing will take place on Monday, December 22, 2025 just days before the Christmas holiday.
What are the obstacles? The consecutive numbers in the Florida Lottery game drawing are: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
Prizes for the Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the drawing date. To claim the single-payment cash option, a winner may claim within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date.
The Florida Lottery says its scratch-off tickets and Fast Play game prizes “must be claimed within 60 days of the game’s official date. After the applicable time period expires, the corresponding Florida Lottery ticket will expire.”
Can Florida Lottery Winners Remain Anonymous?
According to the Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party that requests the information.”
However, the site says, “The names of lottery winners who claim prizes of $250,000 or more will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Lottery experts and lawyers say there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
What are the top 10 biggest Powerball jackpots in history?
Here are the top 10 Powerball jackpots in the game’s history as of December 20, 2025:
10. $758.7 million – August 23, 2017; Massachusetts
9. $768.4 million – March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
8. $842.4 million — January 1, 2024; Michigan
7. $1.08 billion — July 19, 2023; California
6. $1.33 billion — April 6, 2024; Oregon
5. $1.5 billion — December 20, 2025? TBD
4. $1.586 billion – January 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
3. $1.765 Billion Powerball Drawing — October 11, 2023; California
2. $1.787 billion — September 6, 2025; Missouri and Texas
1. $2.04 billion — November 7, 2022; California
When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more for Mega Millions and Powerball? What are the biggest lottery jackpots in US history?
As of December 20, 2025, there are 14 lottery jackpots that have reached or exceeded $1 billion. Only once has the jackpot exceeded $2 billion. These are the largest lottery jackpots in American history.
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$1.58 Billion Mega Millions Prize, August 8, 2023, Saltins Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
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The $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize was won by an anonymous player in South Carolina on October 23, 2018.
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$1.5 Billion Powerball Prize, December 20, 2025? TBD
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$1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, January 13, 2023, with ticket purchased at LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, Lebanon, Maine
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The $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize is won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased on July 29, 2022, in Des Plaines, Illinois.
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$1.326 Billion Powerball Award, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Seifan and Lisa Chao of Oregon
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$1.128 Billion Mega Millions Prize, March 26, 2024, New Jersey An unknown winner won ShopRite Liquor No. 1 in Neptune Township, New Jersey. 781 won with tickets purchased on
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$1.08 Billion Powerball Prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
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$1.050 Billion Mega Millions Prize, January 22, 2021, won by Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
(This story will be updated to include new information.)
This article originally appeared in the Palm Beach Post: Powerball winner for Saturday, December 20, 2025, $1.5 billion jackpot?
