Will a $2 Powerball ticket make you a millionaire — during National Lottery Week? As they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
And one lucky Florida ticket holder experienced a big win recently.
After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the Wednesday, July 15, drawing, the jackpot jumped from $498 million to $526 million for the next drawing — Saturday, July 18, 2026, the day after National Lottery Day (Friday, July 17). The estimated cash option for the Saturday, July 18, pot increased to $233.6 million, according to Powerball online. Check back after 11 p.m. ET for Saturday’s winning Powerball numbers. We’ll see if there’s a winner or another rollover just after the lottery holiday.
In case you’re wondering, Wednesday’s winning numbers were 2-7-18-29-38 and the Powerball was 16. Power Play was 2x. Though those numbers produced another rollover, it wasn’t all bad news: There was one big winner in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. A ticket purchased in Louisiana matched 5 with the Powerball Play for a $2 million prize.
Recently, a ticket purchased in Florida won big, matching 5 plus the Power Play for a $2 million prize. Another ticket from that draw, bought in Pennsylvania, matched 5 for a $1 million prize. That happened during the Saturday, June 20, 2026, Powerball drawing, with winning numbers 16-20-44-48-50 and the Powerball was 15. Power Play was 2x.
Winning Powerball numbers for Saturday, July 18, 2026?
Powerball lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. ET every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, including holidays. Check back for Saturday, July 18, winning Powerball numbers and the Power Play. We’ll see if there’s a winner during National Lottery Week or another rollover.
How long has Powerball rolled over?
Powerball reset to $20 million for Monday, May 4th, 2026 − Star Wars Day − after a pair of tickets in Florida and Texas matched all six numbers in the Saturday, May 2, 2026, Powerball drawing, splitting the $20 million prize. The May 2 Powerball winner from here will briefly remain anonymous (see below), claiming a cash prize of $4,488,330.34, according to the Florida Lottery. The local ticket was purchased from La Caribena Grocery and Restaurant, 131 Buena Ventura Blvd., Kissimmee, Florida.
Interestingly, Powerball had reset to $20 million on Saturday, May 2, 2026, after two players in Indiana and Kansas matched all six numbers in the Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Powerball drawing to win a whopping $143 million. That April drawing had a wild number of second-tier winners, 89 to be exact, though none from Florida.
When is the next Powerball drawing? What are the chances of winning Powerball lottery?
Powerball drawings are held at 11 p.m. ET Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, including holidays. According to Powerball.com, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $20 million or $2 billion. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
The next Powerball drawing will be on Monday, July 20.
How long do you have to cash in a Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
Does Florida Lottery publish info on winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix sells lottery tickets and is, of course, known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
(This story will be updated with new information.)
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Winning Powerball numbers Saturday, July 18: Jackpot nears $530 million
Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang and Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jennifer Sangalang and Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
