The Powerball lottery is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States, with tickets sold in nearly every state. With giant jackpots that can grow into the hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s no wonder that Powerball creates so much excitement and interest across the country.
In this article, we’ll take a close look at Powerball results specifically for the state of Rhode Island. Has anyone from the tiny New England state managed to beat the long odds and capture one of those enormous Powerball prizes? Read on to learn more about Rhode Island’s Powerball winners (or lack thereof).
Quick Overview of PowerballRules
Before diving into Rhode Island’s Powerball results, let’s first provide a quick refresher on how the Powerball lottery works. This will provide useful context for understanding the odds and payouts associated with winning the game.
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play. To play, a player selects five main numbers between 1 and 69, and then one Powerball number between 1 and 26. Prizes are awarded for matching at least some of the numbers.
The jackpot is won by matching all six numbers drawn (the five main numbers plus the Powerball). The odds of hitting the jackpot are incredibly small—1 in 292 million! That’s why jackpots can grow into such enormous sums before someone finally wins.
Lower tier prizes are awarded for partial matches:
- Match 5 main numbers but miss Powerball: $1 million prize
- Match 4 main numbers and the Powerball: $50,000 prize
- Match 4 main numbers: $100 prize
- Match 3 main numbers and the Powerball: $100 prize
- Match 3 main numbers: $7 prize
- Match 2 main numbers and the Powerball: $7 prize
- Match 1 main number and the Powerball: $4 prize
- Match just the Powerball: $4 prize
As we can see, matching even just some of the numbers can result in a fun little prize. The huge jackpot captures everyone’s attention, but the lower tier wins are far more common.
Now that we understand the basics of how Powerball works, let’s look at the results specifically for Rhode Island.
Powerball Results for Rhode Island
Powerball tickets first went on sale in Rhode Island on March 7, 2010. Since then, has anyone from the Ocean State managed to capture one of those enormous jackpots?
The short answer is no. To date, no one in Rhode Island has won the Powerball jackpot. The state has yet to produce a very wealthy instant millionaire from the game.
However, while the jackpot has remained elusive in Rhode Island, some residents have still won sizable lower-tier prizes:
- In 2012, a $1 million Powerball prize was won in Middletown, RI by matching the five main numbers but missing the Powerball.
- In 2016, a $2 million prize was claimed by a Powerball ticket sold in Woonsocket, RI. This person hit a multiplier by purchasing the Power Play add-on.
- In 2017, two $50,000 Powerball prizes were won in RI by matching four main numbers and the Powerball.
- Dozens of smaller $100, $50, and $7 wins have been scored by RI players over the years.
So while Rhode Island is still searching for its first Powerball jackpot winner, a few lucky players have managed to snag some exciting consolation prizes. Scoring a $1 million or $2 million win is still pretty sweet!
Notable Powerball Jackpots Won in Nearby States
To put Rhode Island’s lack of a big Powerball jackpot into perspective, it’s helpful to look at results in nearby states:
- In 2019, a jackpot worth $768.4 million was won in Wisconsin. This remains the third largest Powerball prize of all time.
- In 2017, a $758.7 million jackpot was hit by a winner in Massachusetts.
- Also in 2017, a $487 million Powerball jackpot was claimed by a lucky player in New Hampshire.
- In 2016, Maine scored a $487 million winning jackpot ticket.
- Connecticut, Vermont, and New York have also produced jackpot winners over the years.
The New England region has definitely seen some exciting Powerball jackpot wins—just not in Rhode Island. Maybe a RI resident will get to celebrate joining this list in the future!
Why Hasn’t Rhode Island Won the Jackpot?
With Powerball jackpots being won in states all around it, why has Rhode Island been shut out so far? There are a few possible contributing factors:
- Rhode Island is a small state—the smallest in the country in terms of land area. With a population of just over 1 million, RI has fewer overall Powerball players than larger states.
- RI may have lower Powerball sales compared to other New England states. For example, a 2018 analysis showed RI ranked just 19th among all states in per capita Powerball spending.
- While Rhode Island sells tickets, some residents may cross state lines into MA, CT or NY to purchase them. This divides the buying pool.
- Ultimately, Powerball comes down to incredibly long odds. Dumb luck plays a major role in jackpot wins, and Rhode Island’s number simply hasn’t been called yet.
With fewer overall players and Powerball sales, Rhode Island is starting with a demographic disadvantage compared to larger states when it comes to hitting such long odds. But it only takes one lucky ticket, so hope springs eternal for Rhode Islanders eagerly eyeing those enormous jackpots!
Fun Facts about Rhode Island and Powerball
While waiting and hoping for that elusive jackpot win, Rhode Island Powerball players can consider these fun facts:
- Since joining Powerball in 2010, Rhode Islanders have won over $5 million in total prizes across all prize levels.
- The largest Powerball jackpot won in RI so far is $1 million. That lucky ticket was sold in Middletown in 2012.
- The largest national jackpot won while Rhode Island has been participating in Powerball is $1.586 billion. This record prize occurred in January 2016.
- Powerball drawings are held twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET.
- The Powerball with the lowest odds to appear is number 20. It has been drawn less than 10% of the time in Powerball history.
- Rhode Island itself has area codes 401 and 959. Could we see a Powerball jackpot winning ticket with one of those number combinations?
- Current Powerball jackpots start at $40 million and grow until someone wins. The jackpot resets to $40 million after a win.
- Rhode Island lottery proceeds are earmarked for education, contributing over $1 billion to schools so far.
So while Rhode Island hasn’t hit the really big time yet in Powerball, the game still provides plenty of excitement and helps support worthy state causes. Don’t count the smallest state out just yet when it comes to winning a future Powerball jackpot.
Where Jackpot-Winning Tickets Have Been Sold in Rhode Island for Other Lotteries
Although Rhode Island hasn’t produced a Powerball jackpot winner, the state still has a strong lottery tradition. Over the years, immensely lucky RI residents have won huge prize from other national and state lottery games sold in the area.
Some notable examples:
- In 2012, a $336.4 million jackpot, the largest ever Rhode Island Lottery prize, was won playing Powerball’s rival game, Mega Millions.
- In 2017, a $71 million prize was awarded to a Powerball ticket sold in Rhode Island. However, this winner was part of a 25-member workplace pool and was located out of state.
- Several residents have won jackpots of $1 million or more playing scratch-off instant lottery tickets in Rhode Island.
- A few Rhode Island lottery players have scored jackpot wins in Tri-State Megabucks drawings over the years.
The next time a drawing game jackpot like Powerball or Mega Millions starts creeping toward record territory, Rhode Islanders will dream of finally seeing one of their own hit the big one right in their backyard. Will the long wait finally end soon? Keep playing Powerball in RI and just maybe you’ll become the state’s first jackpot hero.
Conclusion
In summary, while the Powerball jackpot continues to evade Rhode Island thus far, hope springs eternal that the state’s long run of lottery futility will end soon. With two drawings each week, there are always new chances to finally produce Rhode Island’s first multimillionaire Powerball winner. Until that time comes, players can still enjoy lower-tier prize wins that occasionally reach the $1 million mark. Powerball might not have made anyone in Rhode Island insanely wealthy yet, but the fun and potential for life-changing prizes keeps residents coming back for more.