Powerball Fever Rises as Players Just Miss the $1 Billion Prize

Powerball Fever Rises as Players Just Miss the $1 Billion Prize

The Powerball craze is hitting new highs as the jackpot keeps climbing past the $1 billion mark. With each drawing, more players are jumping in, hoping to strike it rich—but the big winner still hasn’t shown up.

In Saturday night’s drawing, no one managed to hit all six numbers needed to claim the massive prize. The jackpot at that time was worth $1.06 billion, or $484.6 million if taken as a lump sum. The winning numbers drawn on December 13 were 1, 28, 31, 57, and 58, with the red Powerball number 16.

Even though the top prize stayed out of reach, some players came incredibly close. Seven lucky ticket holders matched all five white numbers but missed the Powerball. Five of those players—hailing from California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia—each took home a $1 million prize. Two more players, from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, played with the Power Play option turned on, doubling their wins to $2 million each.

The smaller but still impressive prizes didn’t stop there. Dozens of tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball. Forty-nine players each snagged $50,000, while another dozen who played with Power Play scored $100,000 apiece.

Mega Millions players have had better luck lately. The game recently saw two major wins—a massive $980 million jackpot in Georgia and a $90 million win in New Jersey. And in California, five scratch-off players each became new millionaires after landing $1 million prizes.