Powerball To Hit $1.7 Billion; 2 Peabody $50K Winners In Wednesday's Drawing

PEABODY, MA — Two winning Powerball tickets were sold in Peabody for Wednesday night's drawing, even as the ultimate jackpot once again proved elusive nationwide, with the grand prize expected to hit $1.7 billion or more for the next drawing on Saturday.

The $1.7 billion drawing would be the third-largest in U.S. lottery history, with a one-time cash prize of about $770.3 million.

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It has been more than four months since the last jackpot was hit on May 31, with Saturday night's drawing the 42nd since that $204.5 million ticket was sold in California.

Saturday should mark the largest jackpot since Oct. 11, 2023, when a $1.765 billion ticket was sold in California.

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"As this jackpot moves into record territory, we remind people to keep the experience of playing the Lottery enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means," said Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery.

Peabody was a lucky city for ticket sales on Wednesday, with $50,000 winners sold at Dev Convenience Store on Lake Street and at Central Street Liquors on Central Street.

The other two $50,000 winners were sold at Gary's Liquors on VFW Parkway in Chestnut Hill and The Point on Country Road in East Freetown.

Powerball tickets are $2 each and can be played in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets can be purchased until 9:50 p.m. Saturday at Mass Lottery retailers across the state. Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. in Tallahassee, FL.

The Mega Millions jackpot for the Friday, September 5, drawing is an estimated $336 million, while the Megabucks jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is an estimated $4.7 million.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)