It's been awhile since someone won the Powerball jackpot. lottery players who were hoping to match all five numbers and the Powerball on Saturday night had their dreams dashed again. There were no winners in the May 27 drawing and the jackpot will continue to rise until the winning numbers are drawn.
The jackpot now stands at a whopping $302 million — the next drawing is Wednesday, May 31. But don't throw away your ticket. Even if you didn't win the jackpot, there are other ways to win some cold hard cash.
Winning Powerball numbers May 27
Powerball numbers are drawn every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.
ET. On Saturday night, the lucky (or unlucky if you didn't win) numbers were 5-10-28-55-67 and the Powerball was 9. No one won the jackpot, but there were lots of secondary prizes given away. Three ticket holders in Arizona, Maine, and New York matched all five numbers (no PB) and will receive $1 million each (before taxes).
There were a number of other cash prizes given away, so it's worth checking your ticket a second time. You will win $50,000 if you match four white balls and the red Powerball or $100 if you match four white balls or three white balls and the red ball.
How to check your Powerball numbers
The live Powerball drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. ET every Wednesday and Friday. You can check the numbers the minute they are drawn by watching the live video drawing on the free Lottery Hub app for iPhone and Android devices.
If you don't remember to watch, or don't have time, just scan your ticket into the app and it will alert you if you won the jackpot or a non-jackpot prize.
Powerball tickets currently cost $2 each. They are sold at supermarkets, convenience stores, and at other lottery retailers in 44 states, DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
If you spend an extra $1 for the PowerPlay feature, you have a chance to win up to five times the amount of non-jackpot prizes.
Lottery winnings are taxed — thanks, Uncle Sam
Unless you live in a state that doesn't tax lottery winnings (California, Delaware, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming), you're going to have to pay state and federal taxes on your big lottery win.
If you are lucky enough to win the Powerball jackpot, you will get a whole lot less than you think. You have the option of getting a check for the lump sum, but taxes will be deducted before the check is issued.
According to USA Mega, if you win next Wednesday night's $302 million jackpot, the actual cash value is $187,300,000. Uncle Sam will take about 25 percent of that, leaving you with $140,475,000 before state taxes are deducted. Still, that's not a bad return on a $2 investment.
