Powerball Drawing Sends Jackpot to 674 Million Dollars

The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $674 million after no ticket matched all six winning numbers in the Wednesday, October 21, 2026, drawing. According to reports from USA TODAY, Yahoo and FOX8, the next drawing is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, with a cash option of $283.9 million.

The October 21 winning numbers were 1, 21, 44, 50 and 57, with 5 as the Powerball number. The multiplier was 2X, according to the published drawing results.

Although nobody won the top prize, several tickets earned substantial awards. FOX8 reported that a ticket purchased in western Ohio won $2 million after matching all five white-ball numbers and receiving the multiplier.

Yahoo also reported a $2 million winning ticket in Pennsylvania and a $1 million prize for a New Jersey ticket that matched all five white-ball numbers without the multiplier. These prizes were separate from the unclaimed jackpot.

According to FOX8, the Ohio ticket was purchased at Village Pantry in Russells Point before the October 21 drawing. Lottery documents indicated that an automatically generated number selection matched all five white balls, initially qualifying for $1 million before the multiplier doubled the award.

Ohio also recorded a $50,000 winner, FOX8 reported. That ticket matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball, although the retailer that sold it had not been identified in the report.

The jackpot estimates varied among reports published on October 22. USA TODAY and IndyStar cited an estimated $635 million jackpot and a $267.5 million cash option for the October 21 drawing, while Yahoo and FOX8 reported that the next drawing's estimated jackpot had risen to $674 million.

The latest jackpot increase followed the absence of a top-prize winner in the October 21 drawing. The previous jackpot winner was a player in Illinois who claimed an estimated $1.04 billion prize on August 12, 2026, according to USA TODAY.

That Illinois win ranks among the largest Powerball jackpots in history. The record remains $2.04 billion, won in California on November 7, 2022, followed by $1.817 billion in Arkansas on December 24, 2025, and $1.787 billion shared by Missouri and Texas on September 6, 2025.

Other major Powerball jackpots include $1.765 billion won in California on October 11, 2023; $1.586 billion shared by California, Florida and Tennessee on January 13, 2016; and $1.326 billion won in Oregon on April 6, 2024.

The historical list also includes $1.08 billion won in California on July 19, 2023, $842.4 million won in Michigan on January 1, 2024, and $768.4 million won in Wisconsin on March 27, 2019.

Powerball drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at approximately 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The next drawing is scheduled for October 24, 2026, with the jackpot estimated at $674 million and the cash option at $283.9 million.