Powerball jackpots are about to be much larger. Reporter explains.
USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes explains the historic agreement with the UK National Lottery.
Imagine this. You just won millions (or billions) of dollars during a lottery drawing, and you want some anonymity after such an enormous win. But some states may not let you keep your identity a secret.
The Powerball jackpot has reached a whopping $856 million and is nearing a billion. While some states may let you remain anonymous, others will only let you remain anonymous for a certain period of time. And the vast of majority of states do not allow winners to hide their identity.
People who live in a state that lets them remain completely anonymous get the jackpot while also keeping their winnings a secret.
Here’s what to know about anonymity laws by state in the U.S.
Which states let you remain anonymous?
Depending on the amount of money won, you may be legally obligated to reveal your identity in some states, like Georgia, Illinois and Texas, according to USA TODAY’s previous reporting. Only 10 states allow you to remain completely anonymous no matter how much money you win.
States that allow anonymity after lottery win:
- Arizona: Anonymous unless prize is over $100,000, though the person can request to keep their identity confidential.
- Arkansas: Anonymous unless prize is over $500,000 and a winner is only anonymous for three years. A person can also request to keep their identity confidential. Arkansas has another interesting aspect to their law which was just displayed when the Christmas Eve 2025 Powerball winner was revealed to be the younger brother of North Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor Terry Hartwick. An elected official and a close relative of one can only remain anonymous for six months.
- Delaware: Can remain fully anonymous
- Georgia: Anonymous unless prize is over $250,000
- Illinois: Anonymous unless prize is over $250,000
- Kansas: Can remain fully anonymous
- Maryland: Can remain fully anonymous
- Minnesota: Anonymous unless prize is over $10,000
- Mississippi: Can remain fully anonymous
- Missouri: Can remain fully anonymous
- Montana: Can remain fully anonymous
- New Jersey: Can remain fully anonymous
- North Dakota: Can remain fully anonymous
- Oregon: Can remain fully anonymous
- South Carolina: Can remain fully anonymous
- Texas: Anonymous unless prize is over $1 million
- Virginia: Anonymous unless prize is over $10 million
- West Virginia: Anonymous unless prize is over $1 million
- Wyoming: Can remain fully anonymous
When is the next Powerball drawing?
The next Powerball drawing will take place on Aug. 8, at around 10:59 p.m. ET. The drawing can be watched live on Powerball’s website, and players can rewatch clips on its YouTube channel.
Largest Powerball jackpots
- $2.040 billion on Nov. 7, 2022, in California
- $1.817 billion on Dec. 24, 2025, in Arkansas
- $1.787 billion on Sept. 6, 2025, in Missouri and Texas
- $1.765 billion on Oct. 11, 2023, in California
- $1.586 billion on Jan. 13, 2016, in California, Florida, and Tennessee
- $1.326 billion on April 6, 2024, in Oregon
- $1.080 billion on July 19, 2023, in California
- $856 million- winner TBD
- $842.4 million on Jan. 1, 2024, in Michigan
- $768.4 million on March 27, 2019, in Wisconsin
How to play Powerball
Powerball tickets are $2 per play and are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can do this at a variety of locations, including a local convenience store, gas station, or even a grocery store.
In some states, Powerball tickets can be bought online depending on local jurisdiction.
Once you have your ticket, you need to pick six numbers. Five of them will be white balls numbered 1 to 69. The red Powerball ranges from 1 to 26.
People can also add a “Power Play” for $1, which increases the winnings for all non-jackpot prizes. The “Power Play” multiplier can multiply winnings by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.
If you want the computer to select the numbers, the “Quick Pick” option is also available. To win the jackpot, players must match all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball.
Powerball drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights. If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will keep ticking up.
Do you have to be a US citizen or US resident to play Powerball?
The short answer is no.
When visiting one of the 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, anyone, regardless of nationality, can purchase lottery tickets from an authorized and licensed retailer if they meet the legal age requirement at the point of purchase – usually 18 years old.
Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.