Powerball Reaches $1 Billion, 55,509​ 'Winning' Tickets Sold In CT

CONNECTICUT — The Powerball lottery jackpot is now at $1 billion after no one won the grand prize of $825 million on Oct. 29.

The next Powerball drawing is on Halloween and if you win $1 billion, the one-time cash payout is actually $497.3 million. In Connecticut, three $50,000 winners were sold in the state as four numbers and the Powerball were matched, according to the Connecticut Lottery.

All told, 55,509 "winning" tickets were sold in Connecticut for the Oct. 29 Powerball drawing, which means folks won between $4 and $50,000.

Here is the breakdown from the Connecticut Lottery on "winning" tickets sold in the state: 3, $50,000 winning tickets, 60, $300 winners, 85, $100 winners, and everyone else won between $4 and $21.

The winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, Oct. 29, are: 19, 31, 40, 46, 57 and the Powerball of 23.

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.

The largest Powerball jackpot in history was $1.586 billion, which was split by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016.

Ticket sales end at least one hour before the drawing in most states, but a state may halt sales earlier, such as Illinois, which stops sales three hours before the drawing. In Maryland and New Jersey, ticket sales end at 9:59 p.m.; in Virginia, they close at 10 p.m. Check with your state lottery for the cut-off time.

To win the Powerball jackpot, a player must match all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball number. The odds of picking the correct Powerball grand prize numbers are one in 292,201,338, which doesn't change even if more players buy tickets when the jackpot is enormous.

You have a better chance of winning the Powerball jackpot if you let the computer select your numbers, according to lottery officials. About 75 percent of winning tickets over the years had numbers picked by a computer.

Powerball tickets cost $2 each. Find locations where you can buy your Powerball tickets here.

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 advisor 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.

These are the five largest Powerball jackpots in the game's history:

• $1.586 billion, Jan. 13, 2016
• $768.4 million, March 27, 2019
• $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017
• $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021
• $688 million, Oct. 27, 2018

Winners can choose to either have the full jackpot amount paid out in 30 installments over 29 years, or winners can take one lump sum payment that is smaller than the actual total.

Patch editor Deb Belt contributed to this story.