Standfirst: A single ticket sold in New Jersey matched all six numbers in the Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, Powerball drawing and won an $847 million jackpot — the ninth-largest prize in the game’s history. Here are the winning numbers, the choices facing the winner, and what happens next.
What happened
Jackpot won: A single Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey won the $847 million jackpot in the drawing held on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. The ticket matched all six numbers drawn that night, making its holder the first jackpot winner in months.
Historic prize: The prize is the ninth-largest Powerball jackpot in the history of the game. It is also the first jackpot win since Aug. 12, 2026, when a ticket sold in Illinois won a $1.04 billion jackpot. That win had started a long stretch in which the top prize went unclaimed, drawing after drawing, while the jackpot kept growing.
Winner unknown: The identity of the winner is not known. The winning ticket was sold in New Jersey, but no details about who bought it or where exactly it was sold have been made public. New Jersey is one of the states that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous, so the winner may choose never to be named in public.
Long odds: The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Those long odds are part of why jackpots can roll over for weeks at a time, growing larger with each drawing that produces no jackpot winner. Even so, millions of people buy tickets for every drawing, and a single ticket can change everything in one night.
Drawing schedule: Powerball drawings take place three times a week — on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday — at 10:59 p.m. ET. The Nov. 4 drawing was a Wednesday drawing, and it ended one of the longest jackpot droughts in recent memory.
The winning numbers
Winning numbers: The winning numbers in the Nov. 4, 2026, drawing were 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56, with the Powerball number 21. The Power Play multiplier drawn that night was 2x.
Power Play: The Power Play is an optional add-on that multiplies smaller prizes, but it does not change the jackpot. A player who adds Power Play to a ticket pays extra, and if the ticket wins a prize below the jackpot, that prize is multiplied by the number drawn — in this case, doubled. The jackpot itself is never multiplied.
No Match 5 winners: No tickets won the $2 million or $1 million Match 5 prizes in this drawing. Match 5 prizes go to tickets that match all five white-ball numbers but miss the Powerball number. The absence of Match 5 winners in this drawing is unusual, and it underlines how rare a night like this one was: one ticket took the top prize, and no other ticket came close to the second tier.
Check your ticket: Players who bought tickets for the Nov. 4 drawing should check their numbers carefully against the winning combination: 15, 34, 41, 53, 56 and Powerball 21. Even a ticket that did not win the jackpot may still be worth a smaller prize, depending on how many numbers it matched. Winners can verify their tickets through official lottery channels.
Annuity or cash: the winner’s choice
The choice: The winner of the $847 million jackpot now faces a major decision: take the full amount as an annuity, or take a smaller amount all at once as cash.
Annuity option: The annuity option pays the full $847 million over 29 years. Under that plan, the winner receives the prize in yearly payments spread across nearly three decades.
Cash option: The cash option pays a one-time lump sum of $363.1 million. Both figures are before taxes, so the amount the winner actually keeps will be lower after federal and state taxes are taken out.
The gap: The gap between the two figures is large — nearly $484 million — and it reflects how the annuity works. The annuity total is the sum of payments made over 29 years, while the cash option is the amount the prize is worth right now in a single payment. The winner will need to weigh a larger total paid slowly against a smaller sum received at once.
No rush: The winner does not have to decide in a rush. Lottery winners typically have time to claim their prize and to think through the choice, and the decision is a personal one that depends on the winner’s own situation. What is certain is that either option amounts to a life-changing sum of money, and that the choice, once made, cannot be undone.
A long drought ends
35 drawings: The Nov. 4 win ended a run of 35 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. That is more than two months of drawings — three a week — in which nobody matched all six numbers.
Last win: The drought began after the Aug. 12, 2026 drawing, when a ticket sold in Illinois won a $1.04 billion jackpot. From that night on, the jackpot started over at a much smaller amount and grew steadily, drawing by drawing, as players kept buying tickets and no one hit the top prize.
How jackpots grow: Long rollover runs like this one are what push jackpots into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Each drawing without a winner adds more money to the pot, and the bigger the advertised jackpot grows, the more tickets people tend to buy. By the time the Nov. 4 drawing arrived, the prize had reached $847 million, making it the ninth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.
A watched night: The long run also explains why the win drew so much attention. After 35 drawings with no jackpot winner, the Nov. 4 drawing was one of the most watched lottery nights of the year. The single winning ticket in New Jersey brought that run to an end in a single draw.
What happens next
Jackpot resets: With the jackpot won, the prize resets. The jackpot for the next drawing, on Saturday, starts at $20 million — the game’s starting jackpot amount. From there, it will grow again with each drawing that produces no jackpot winner.
Claiming the prize: The winner’s next steps will take place out of public view, at least for now. Because New Jersey allows winners to remain anonymous, the public may never learn who bought the ticket. The winner will claim the prize through the state’s lottery officials, and the choice between the $847 million annuity and the $363.1 million cash payment will be made as part of that process.
The game goes on: For everyone else, the game goes on. Drawings continue on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET, and the jackpot will begin its climb again from $20 million. The odds stay the same — 1 in 292.2 million for the jackpot — no matter how large or small the prize grows.
One ticket: The Nov. 4 win is a reminder of how the game works: a single ticket, bought in a single state, can end a drought of 35 drawings and take home one of the largest prizes the game has ever paid.
Staying safe around jackpot news
Scams spike: Big jackpot wins always attract attention, and that attention attracts scammers. After a win as large as $847 million, fake messages, calls and social media posts claiming to be from the lottery or from the winner tend to spread quickly. Knowing how real lotteries work is the best protection.
Real lotteries never ask winners to pay a fee to claim a prize: A genuine lottery will never ask a winner to send money, buy a gift card or pay a processing fee before receiving winnings. Any message that asks for payment in exchange for a prize is a scam, no matter how official it looks.
Verify through official channels: The only reliable way to check winning numbers or claim information is through the official lottery website or a licensed lottery retailer. Do not trust numbers or claim instructions sent by text message, email or social media, and never click links in unexpected messages about lottery wins.
Watch for phishing texts: Scammers often send texts that pretend to be from a bank, a delivery service or a lottery, hoping the reader will tap a link or share personal details. Learning how to spot a phishing text before you tap can stop a scam before it starts.
Gift card scams are a common trick: Fraudsters frequently ask victims to pay with gift cards, because that money is hard to trace and almost impossible to get back. Reading about holiday gift card scams and how to avoid drained cards explains the warning signs to watch for.
Check before you give: Big wins also bring out fake charities and fake fundraisers claiming a connection to the winner. Before donating to any cause tied to a news story, it is worth learning how to check a charity before you donate so the money reaches a real cause.
Stay safe: A jackpot win is exciting news, but the safest response is a simple one: check the official numbers, keep personal details private, and never pay anyone to claim a prize.
