Powerball is drawn three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at 10:59 PM Eastern Time. The drawing takes place at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Florida, and is streamed live. Here's what time that is where you live, when ticket sales close, how the numbers are drawn and what happens next.
What time is the Powerball drawing?
Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 PM ET. The time doesn't change with daylight saving: it's always 10:59 PM on the East Coast, winter or summer.
The drawing itself takes about a minute. The winning numbers and the Power Play multiplier are known straight away; the number of winners in each prize tier comes later, once the lotteries have counted their tickets. We post the numbers on the home page and every past drawing in Powerball results.
The drawing time where you are
Here's 10:59 PM ET in the other U.S. time zones where Powerball is sold, and in the UK:
| Time zone | Drawing time |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 10:59 PM |
| Central | 9:59 PM |
| Mountain | 8:59 PM |
| Arizona (no daylight saving) | 7:59 PM in summer, 8:59 PM in winter |
| Pacific | 7:59 PM |
| Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands | 10:59 PM in summer, 11:59 PM in winter |
| United Kingdom | 3:59 AM the next morning (most of the year) |
In the few weeks each spring and fall when the U.S. and the UK change their clocks on different dates, the drawing is at 2:59 AM in the UK.
When ticket sales close
Each lottery sets its own sales cutoff, from 9:30 PM ET in Colorado to 10:00 PM ET in New York, Florida, Georgia and several other states. After that, the terminals keep selling, but for the next drawing. Don't leave it to the last minute when the jackpot is huge: lines get long. Every state's cutoff is in Powerball states.
Where Powerball is drawn
Since January 2012, the drawings have been held at the Florida Lottery draw studio, at the lottery's headquarters in Tallahassee. Before that, they were held at Universal Studios in Orlando (2009 to 2011) and, until 2008, in Iowa.
Powerball isn't a Florida game, though: the Florida Lottery hosts the drawing on behalf of all the lotteries that sell it, through the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Mega Millions, by contrast, is drawn in Atlanta.
How the drawing works
The drawing uses two machines: one with the 69 white balls and one with the 26 red Powerballs. Five white balls are drawn, then one red ball. The Power Play multiplier is drawn too, and Double Play has its own drawing afterward.
Security is tight, as CBS News saw on a visit to the Tallahassee studio:
- The studio has four machines and several ball sets, and which ones are used each night is chosen at random.
- The balls are weighed and X-rayed to check they haven't been tampered with, and handled with gloves.
- Equipment is kept in sealed cases whose seals must match codes held by the auditor.
- Security cameras record the whole process, and MUSL staff are on hand in case anything goes wrong.
The official winning numbers are the ones recorded under the observation of an independent accounting firm.
How to watch it
Every drawing is streamed live on powerball.com, and recordings stay online afterward. If you miss it, the numbers are on our home page a few minutes later.
After the drawing
Once the numbers are drawn, each lottery counts its winning tickets. The prize breakdown, with the number of winners in each tier and the states where any jackpot or Match 5 tickets were sold, is published afterward and added to each drawing in Powerball results.
To check your tickets, use our ticket checker. How and where to claim a prize is in how to claim a Powerball prize.
About 156 drawings a year
Three drawings a week add up to 156 or 157 a year. The schedule doesn't stop for holidays: the $1.817 billion jackpot, the second-biggest ever, was drawn on Christmas Eve 2025.
Monday drawings were added in August 2021; before that, Powerball was drawn only on Wednesday and Saturday. How the game has changed is in Powerball changes over the years.
Frequently asked questions
What time is the Powerball drawing tonight?
Powerball is drawn at 10:59 PM ET every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. That's 9:59 PM Central, 8:59 PM Mountain and 7:59 PM Pacific.
Where is the Powerball drawing held?
At the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee, Florida, where it has been held since January 2012.
What time do Powerball ticket sales stop?
It depends on your state: from 9:30 PM ET in Colorado to 10:00 PM ET in New York, Florida, Georgia and several other states, before the 10:59 PM ET drawing. Tickets sold after the cutoff are for the next drawing. Every state's cutoff is in Powerball states.
Is the Powerball drawing live?
Yes. It's streamed live on powerball.com and recorded under the observation of an independent accounting firm.
Is there a Powerball drawing every day?
No. There are three drawings a week: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.