$169M Powerball Prize Up for Grabs This Wednesday Night

By Gaurav Bisht | Published February 19, 2026 02:28 am GMT

Powerball Fever: $169 Million Jackpot Up for Wednesday Night

The Powerball jackpot is heating up again, climbing to $169 million for the Wednesday, February 18 drawing. If you’re thinking about the cash option, that’s a cool $79.2 million.

And here’s the exciting part — if nobody hits it, the jackpot just keeps rolling higher. ?

? When’s the Drawing?

Powerball drawings happen every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday night. The winning numbers for February 18 will be drawn at 11 p.m. ET.

? How to Play Powerball

Playing is simple:

?? $2 per ticket
Pick 5 white balls (1–69)
Pick 1 red Powerball (1–26)
Add Power Play for $1 to multiply non-jackpot prizes (2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or even 10X!)

Not sure what numbers to choose? Go with Quick Pick and let the computer decide.

To win the jackpot, you must match all five white balls (any order) plus the red Powerball.

? Who Can Play?

You don’t have to be a U.S. citizen or resident to buy a ticket. As long as you’re at least 18 years old (age rules may vary by state) and purchase from an authorized retailer, you’re good to go.

Powerball is available in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The only states that don’t offer it are:

Alabama
Alaska
Hawaii
Nevada
Utah

? Biggest Powerball Jackpots Ever

Some of the largest wins in history are jaw-dropping:

$2.040 billion – November 7, 2022 (California)
$1.817 billion – December 24, 2025 (Arkansas)
$1.787 billion – September 6, 2025 (Missouri & Texas)
$1.765 billion – October 11, 2023 (California)
$1.586 billion – January 13, 2016 (California, Florida & Tennessee)

Yes, billion with a “B.” ?

Since launching in 1992, the jackpot has been hit nearly 200 times. Some of the luckiest states include Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.