Powerball Mints Dozens of Millionaires as Player Patterns Kick in

Winning the big bucks from Powerball is what many people dream of. While the game’s top prize lands fairly rarely, seven-figure Match 5 sums are not all that uncommon. However, the Wednesday Powerball drawing awarded not one, but almost a hundred such prizes. The reason, as it turns out, is pretty simple.

One for the History Books

There are many ways to play lottery games, such as Powerball. Some players tend to pick numbers associated with their loved ones’ birthdays or dates with particular significance. Others have a bunch of favorite numbers that they always play. Others still like to pick at random.

However, a very common pattern is picking all the numbers from the same column. This way, players ensure that the numbers they pick are not too close to one another. To top it all off, this allows players to pick numbers without thinking much about it, while making the ticket look symmetrical and visually pleasing.

While the chances of a Powerball drawing matching the exact numbers of a column as it appears on tickers are pretty slim, this is exactly what happened on April 29, 2026, resulting in dozens of winners, including two jackpot winners.

2 Players to Share the Jackpot, 89 to Take Home Match 5 Prizes

For context, the numbers drawn on April 29 were 3, 19, 35, 51, and 67, plus the red Powerball 15. If one is to check what a Powerball ticket looks like, they would see that the white numbers drawn are aligned exactly in the same column, making them a pretty easy pick.

As a result, two players simultaneously hit the jackpot of $143 million. According to Powerball’s official release, these included a player in Indiana and a player in Kansas.

In addition to that, a jaw-dropping 89 players matched all five white numbers with the exception of the Powerball to win the game’s second-tier prize. Of these, 62 will take home $1 million each. The remaining 27 will take home $2 million each, instead, thanks to the optional Power Play feature.

Here is a breakdown of who won $2 million Match 5 + Power Play prizes:

• Arkansas: 1
• Illinois: 1
• Indiana: 5
• Kansas: 1
• Louisiana: 5
• Mississippi: 1
• New Jersey: 4
• Oregon: 3
• Pennsylvania: 2
• Rhode Island: 1
• South Carolina: 1
• Wisconsin: 2

In addition to that, here is how many winners took Match 5 prizes of $1 million.

• Arkansas: 1
• Arizona: 1
• California: 1
• Georgia: 1
• Illinois: 3
• Indiana: 14
• Kansas: 5
• Louisiana: 6
• Kentucky: 1
• Mississippi: 1
• Minnesota: 1
• Missouri: 1
• Nebraska: 2
• New Jersey: 14
• Oregon: 1
• Pennsylvania: 5
• Wisconsin: 4

A few players also matched four white numbers plus the red Powerball. Six such players won $50,000 each, while another two scooped up $100,000 each thanks to Power Play.

Powerball Congratulated All New Millionaires

In any case, having almost a hundred winners of seven-figure prizes is a historic occasion. As players celebrated, Matt Strawn, Powerball chair, came forward to congratulate all winners.

What a night for Powerball players! We are thrilled with these exciting draw results! Thank you to all our players, and congratulations to the ticketholders who woke up millionaires!

Matt Strawn, chair, Powerball

While having dozens of winners may seem suspicious at first glance, Powerball reassured players that “the drawing was completed with the presence of an independent auditing firm which reviews and confirms compliance with all draw and security protocols.”