Powerball Winning Numbers; $66 Million Jackpot Wed. Sept. 27

It's Powerball time again, and the jackpot continues to grow. The estimated jackpot for the week is $66 million, or $41.8 million if you choose cash value. On Saturday, there were no winners of the jackpot and no "Match 5 winners" Power Play. One Match 5 winner in Indiana won $1,000,000 just for buying a ticket.

A grand total of 488,279 people took home more than $4 million in cash after the last drawing. With nine ways to win, and big payouts, what do you have to lose?

Powerball numbers for Wed. Sept. 25 are: 8, 10, 21, 23, 25 and the Powerball number of 22

Powerball is the largest combined jackpot and cash game, played every Wednesday and Saturday night at 7:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Each ticket costs $2, and the last ticket is sold 59 minutes before the draw.

And here's a fun bit of Powerball trivia for you: Which state has had the most Powerball winners? Sadly, not California. Indiana has that honor, with 39 Powerball winners, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, followed by Missouri (31), Minnesota (22), Kentucky (18), and Wisconsin (16).

Think you can't win? Think again. Jackpots have been won in California eight times, including the record Powerball jackpot of $1.568 billion in January of 2016 — even if it was split three ways.

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Drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday. Powerball is played in Illinois, 43 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Players pick five numbers from one to 69 and a sixth, red Powerball number, one through 26. Many people choose a Quick Pick ticket for random numbers. There are different levels of payouts, but to win the jackpot, tickets must match all five numbers plus the Powerball.

When you claim your prize, you may collect the full value paid in 30 installments over 29 years or a one-time lump sum that is smaller than the actual total. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent.

Winning tickets must be redeemed in the state where purchased, regardless of where the winner lives.

Claiming, Safeguarding Winnings

So, what should you do if you win the big prize? Many lottery winners hire an attorney, financial planner or both, since most people don’t exactly know what to do when they suddenly come into so much money. Some even bring their lawyer with them to claim their prize. The lottery does not offer any counseling services or advice for winners.

Then there are the taxes. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent. State or city income taxes also apply. In Illinois, the tax hit is 4.95 percent. Financial experts say that if you can get more than a 3 or 4 percent return on an investment, the lump sum is actually the best way to go in the long-term.

Patch photo, Renee Schiavone