Posted on: May 4, 2026, 09:24h.
Last updated on: May 4, 2026, 09:24h.
- Four Powerball tickets won the jackpot in the last two drawings.
- Calculating the odds of the jackpot hitting depends in part on ticket sales.
In the last two Powerball drawings, the winning numbers appeared four times. Mathematicians find it challenging to calculate the odds, but Casino.org explored this phenomenon to arrive at a plausible estimation for this improbable scenario.
On April 29, two lucky tickets—one from Indiana and another from Kansas—matched the winning numbers: 3, 19, 35, 51, 67, and the red Powerball 15. They shared a $143.4 million annuity prize.
In the following drawing on May 2, another two tickets, from Florida and Texas, matched the winning sequence: 25, 37, 42, 52, 65, and the red Powerball 14. The jackpot had reset to $20 million after the earlier win.
While winning the Powerball jackpot is always a thrill, achieving it immediately after a reset adds an intriguing layer of complexity. The winners can opt for an annuity of $10 million spread over 29 years or a lump sum cash option of $4.5 million.
Both amounts are before federal taxes, with Florida and Texas being tax-free for lottery winnings.
What Are the Odds of That?!
The odds of a ticket matching all five white balls and the red Powerball remain static at 1 in 292,201,338. The chances of winning generally increase as the jackpot grows, due to a rise in ticket sales and a wider coverage of number combinations.
Typically, Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots accumulate through several rollovers until a fortunate ticket finally defies the daunting odds. However, that wasn’t the case for Powerball recently.
Since the probability of hitting the Powerball jackpot is fluid—stemming from the number of valid combinations sold—it’s nearly impossible to estimate the odds of four jackpots being won in just two drawings. After resetting, ticket sales decline significantly, with lottery officials indicating that fewer than 1% of the 292.2 million combinations are usually played in the immediate post-reset drawings.
Casino.org consulted Gemini, Google’s AI tool, to evaluate past Powerball sales and project a “best guess” regarding the probability of two winners emerging in consecutive drawings. The AI suggested this outcome might occur with a frequency of 1 in 100,000.
According to the AI assessment, the likelihood of two tickets matching during the first drawing falls between 1 in 20 to 1 in 40, as ticket sales were presumably higher with a $143 million jackpot. In contrast, the odds for the next drawing plummet to approximately 1 in 2,500 due to diminished ticket sales post-reset at $20 million.
Overall, Gemini estimated the odds of seeing four tickets win sequential Powerball jackpots—two in one drawing followed by two in the following drawing—at 1 in 100,000.
Jackpot Bonanza
The year 2026 has been exceptionally rewarding for lottery players. With only a fraction of the year gone, Powerball has had seven jackpot winners, while Mega Millions has celebrated two victories.
Powerball 2026 Winning Tickets
- May 2 — $20M — Florida, Texas
- April 29 — $143M — Indiana, Kansas
- April 6 — $230.8M — Delaware
- March 2 — $250.8M — Arkansas
- Jan. 21 — $209.3M — North Carolina
Mega Millions 2026 Winning Tickets
- March 17 — $60M — Ohio
- March 10 — $536M — Illinois