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Aussie players are on the brink of cracking a staggering $9 billion in Powerball division one winnings, with the next big win poised to deliver the milestone as the game celebrates its 30th anniversary this week.
Since the first Powerball draw held on Thursday 23 May 1996, 587 Powerball division one winners have collectively taken home $8,975,858,948.18.
If one person takes home the $40 million Powerball jackpot tonight, they will not only become the 588th division one winner in the game’s history, but also push the division one prize money tally beyond $9 billion.
Across the 1565 draws to date during the past three decades, there have been 667,222,904 wins across all divisions worth $22,658,812,009.43.
The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said Australia’s biggest jackpotting game was no stranger to breaking records, and could do so again this week in time for its 30th anniversary.
“From offering a $1 million jackpot in 1996 to today’s era of blockbuster draws, Powerball has kept Australia on the edge of its seat for 30 years with sky-high dreams, blockbuster jackpots and life-changing wins,” he said.
“Not surprisingly, Powerball has created some of the most memorable moments in Australian lottery history. It holds the record for the biggest jackpot – a $200 million prize drawn on 1 February 2024 and shared by two players. On the day of the draw, sales peaked at 5.20pm, with 9,630 tickets sold in a single minute.
“Powerball also created Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner – a South Australian man scored $150 million in May 2024.
“For millions of Australians, Powerball has ignited countless hopes and dreams, and delivered some truly life-changing moments. That could happen again tonight, and see the game surpass a whopping $9 billion in division one prize money.
“We can’t wait to see what the next 30 years of Powerball draws hold.”
So far this year, eight Powerball division one winners who have collected more than $205 million – four in New South Wales, three in Victoria and one in Western Australia. The biggest Powerball prize won in 2026 to date is $80 million.
Half of the Powerball division one wins in 2026 to date have been from one type of entry – the PowerHit entry that guarantees the all-important Powerball number you need to win division one.
Australia’s biggest lottery draws There have only been 21 Australian lottery draws that have offered $100 million or higher – all but two of these were Powerball draws.
| Rank | Game | Advertised jackpot amount | Draw date | Winners |
| 1 | Powerball | $200 million | 1 February 2024 | Two division one winning entries scored $100 million each |
| 2 | Powerball | $160 million | 27 October 2022 | Three division one winning entries scored $53.3 million each |
| 3 | Powerball | $150 million | 18 September 2019 | Three division one winning entries scored $50 million each |
| Powerball | $150 million | 25 January 2024 | No winners – jackpot soared to $200 million | |
| Powerball | $150 million | 23 May 2024 | One division one winning entry scored $150 million and became Australia’s biggest individual lottery winner | |
| 4 | Powerball | $120 million | 24 February 2022 | Two division one winning entries scored $63.3 million each |
| 5 | Powerball | $110 million | 18 July 2019 | Three division one winning entries scored $36.6 million each |