Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $786 Million — What to Know Ahead of Aug. 5 Drawing

The Powerball jackpot has swelled to an estimated $786 million with a cash option of about $341.6 million ahead of the Aug. 5 drawing, making this prize one of the largest in the game's history.

The prize reached this level after more than three months without a jackpot winner. The last jackpot hit came on May 2, when tickets sold in Texas and Florida split a $20 million top prize, triggering a rollover streak that steadily pushed the pot higher.

Why This Jackpot Matters

This drawing comes as Powerball undergoes its biggest expansion in years: for the first time, players in the United Kingdom can purchase tickets that feed into the shared top prize. That expansion has the potential to add millions of new players and increase ticket sales worldwide.

How To Play

• Ticket cost: $2 per play in the U.S.
• Pick: Five white-ball numbers from 1–69 and one red Powerball from 1–26.
• Power Play: Optional $1 add-on that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X (varies by draw).
• Quick Pick: Let the terminal generate a random selection for you.
• Winning the jackpot: Match all five white balls (in any order) plus the red Powerball.

Where And When

Powerball tickets are sold through licensed retailers in 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; some jurisdictions also allow online purchases. You must meet the local minimum age at the point of purchase (usually 18).

Drawings are held each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The next drawing after Aug. 5 is scheduled for Aug. 8 at about 10:59 p.m. ET. Draws are streamed on Powerball's official channels, and major outlets (including USA TODAY) typically post winning numbers shortly after the drawing.

U.K. Players And Prize Differences

U.K. ticket sales now contribute to the shared jackpot, but there are important differences: U.K. tickets cost £4 (about $5.32) and lower-tier prizes for U.K. participants are paid under a separate prize structure. U.S. jackpot winners can generally choose a lump-sum cash option or a 30-year annuity; U.K. winners receive payments through the U.K. National Lottery structure (annual payments).

Real-Life Note

Longstanding agreements to split winnings do come up in real life. For example, Thomas Cook and Joseph Feeney of Wisconsin had an agreement to share future lottery winnings; Cook honored that pact after winning a $22 million prize in 2020.

Notable Past Powerball Jackpots

• $2.04 billion — Nov. 7, 2022 (largest Powerball jackpot on record)
• $1.586 billion — Jan. 13, 2016
• $768.4 million — Mar. 27, 2019
• $786 million — Aug. 5, 2026 (current; winner TBD and ranked among the largest jackpots)

Bottom line: If you plan to play, know the rules, check local purchasing options, and remember that odds of hitting the jackpot are very long. Watch the drawing live or check official outlets for the winning numbers after the draw.

Tennessee Lottery CEO Rebecca Paul, left, walks with an excited Janis Goodwin, middle and Frances Davenport as they prepare to pick up their million-dollar Powerball check at the lottery headquarters in Nashville on Oct. 3, 2005.(Sanford Myers, The Tennessean via USA TODAY Network)

Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne presents a commemorative check Thursday, April 25, 2024 to April Zipp, the winner of a $1 million Mega Millions lottery ticket purchased in Jonestown.(Matthew Toth, Lebanon Daily News via USA TODAY Network)

Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis, Wis., winner of a $768.4 million Powerball jackpot poses on Manuel April 23, 2019 with Wisconsin Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca, Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin and Moola, the lottery mascot.(Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Lerynne West steps forward to claim a $343.9 million Powerball jackpot, the largest prize in Iowa history, Nov. 5, 2018.(Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register, The DesMoines Register via USA TODAY Network)

Robert Bailey holds his check for $343.8 million from the Oct. 27, 2018 Powerball drawing in the Queens borough of New York, Nov. 14, 2018.(SHANNON STAPLETON, REUTERS)

Desiree Fortini-Craft of Hyde Park won $25 million.(Mass. Lottery)

Thomas Cook and Joseph Feeney of Wisconsin agreed years ago to split future lottery winnings. Cook followed through on that promise when he won a $22 million prize on June 10, 2020.(Photo courtesy Wisconsin Lottery)

Kelsey Zachow, 24, of Port Huron holds a $66 million Mega Millions jackpot check. Zachow, along with her family, received the check in Sterling Heights.(Jessica J. Trevino/Detroit Free Press)

Mary and Brian Lohse won a Powerball jackpot prize worth $202.1 million in Bondurant, Iowa, in October 2012. Lottery CEO Terry Rich congratulates the winners, Mary, left, and Brian, at a news conference after the couple claimed the prize.(Rodney White/The Register)

Cristy Davis, a Waterford, Michigan resident was forced to reveal her identity after winning $70 million in the Powerball in June 2020. She is now a proud advocate for winners to keep their identity anonymous.(Lottery Post)

$180 million Mega Millions winner Rick Knudsen of Calimesa and his wife Lorie at the California Lottery Inland Empire District Office in San Bernardino on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014.(Photo courtesy California Lottery)

Iowa Lottery's Edward Stanek, left, with Tim and Kellie Guderian of Fort Dodge, the winners of a $200.8 million Powerball jackpot in 2006. "We played the lottery about twice a month, but never expected to win," Tim said. shown here during press conference Wed Oct. 4, 2006, at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.(Rodney White, The DesMoines Register via USA TODAY Network)

Tom Delacenserie (L), Secretary of the Florida Lottery poses with Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach with an oversized check after opting to claim their share in a lump sum payment in a winning ticket, worth $528.8 million, from the Jan. 13 drawing at the state's lottery headquarters in Tallahassee Feb. 17, 2016. The Florida couple claimed their share of last month's record $1.6 billion U.S. Powerball lottery jackpot on Wednesday, coming forward with the second of the three winning tickets.(Don Moore, REUTERS)

Powerball jackpot co-winners Lisa and John Robinson (L) of Munford, Tennessee and Tennessee Lottery President and CEO Rebecca Hargrove (R) attend a news conference at the headquarters of the Tennessee Lottery in Nashville, Jan. 15, 2016. The couple revealed on the TODAY television show that they held a winning ticket to claim their share of the $1.6 billion Powerball prize.(Harrison McClary, REUTERS)

Powerball lottery winners known as "The Ocean's 16 group", comprising of workers from an Ocean County garage, pose for a picture after a news conference in Tom's River, N.J., Aug. 13, 2013. Sixteen county maintenance department workers from New Jersey submitted the second winning ticket on Monday in the $448 million Powerball lottery, officials said. The group from Ocean County, on the Jersey shore, was presented with a check for $86,054,355, their share of the jackpot after taxes, lottery officials said.(Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS)

Paul White (L), 45, from Ham Lake, Minnesota, stands with his partner Kim VanReese (C) and co-worker Nancy Bowen (R) as he holds a check for his $149.4 million portion of a $448.4 million Powerball jackpot prize at a news conference at Minnesota State Lottery headquarters in Roseville, Aug. 8, 2013. White, the first to come forward to claim his money, was one of three winners of the jackpot.(Eric Miller, REUTERS)

Pedro Quezada, winner of the Powerball lottery, holds up the promotional Powerball jackpot check of $338 million at the end of a news conference at the New Jersey Lottery headquarters in Trenton, March 26, 2013.(Eduardo Munoz, REUTERS)