Jan. 5 Powerball Jackpot $630M: Deadline For Tickets In Illinois

ILLINOIS — The jackpot in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing is an estimated $630 million, with an estimated cash payout of $448.4 million. To get in on it, folks in Illinois will have to buy the tickets at least one hour before the drawing, which takes place at 9:59 p.m. Central Time.

In Illinois, tickets for Wednesday night’s drawing must be purchased by 8:59 p.m.

The last time the Powerball jackpot was claimed was last October, when a lottery player in California won took a nearly $496 million payoff on a $699,800,000 jackpot.

In Illinois, two people have won the Powerball jackpot.

The last — and largest — Illinois Powerball jackpot came in March 2013, when Ted Baumgartner won $50 million after buying a ticket at a Shell Express in Freeport. Before that, Illinois' other win came in December 2010, when a group known as the Shim Partnership bought a $37.5 million winning Powerball ticket at a Thornton gas station in Forest Park.

Illinois' largest ever lottery win wasn't for the Powerball, it was a $393 million Mega Millions jackpot won by a Palos Heights woman in August 2017.

No one won Monday night’s jackpot, making it the 39th drawing in a row without a winner.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, regardless of how many people play the game. To win the jackpot, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball number.

Tickets cost $2. There are nine ways to win (except in California, where all payouts are based on sales and the number of winners):

• The Powerball only: $4 (1 in 38 odds)
• One number plus the Powerball: $4 (1 in 91 odds)
• Two numbers plus the Powerball: $7 (1 in 701 odds)
• Three numbers: $7 (1 in 579 odds)
• Three numbers plus the Powerball: $100 (1 in 14,494 odds)
• Four numbers: $100 (1 in 36,525 odds)
• Four numbers plus the Powerball: $50,000 (1 in 931,129 odds)
• Five numbers: $1 million (1 in 11,688,053 odds)
• Five numbers, plus the Powerball: Jackpot amount (1 in 292,201,338 odds)

Lottery officials have advice for whoever has the winning numbers:

1. Sign your winning ticket. Write your full name and signature on the back of the winning ticket. If you lose your ticket, having your name on the ticket means that no one else will be able to cash it in.
2. Keep your winning ticket in a safe place. Take steps to protect your winning lottery ticket by putting it somewhere safe where it won't accidentally get thrown out.
3. Get legal and financial advice. It might be wise to talk to some experienced professionals such as a lawyer, an accountant, or an investment adviser to help manage your winnings. The winning Powerball numbers are drawn every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time, with Powerball results usually posted within 5 minutes.

Winners in California, Florida and Tennessee split the largest Powerball prize in history, a $1.586 billion jackpot, in January 2016.