when is the powerball drawn

Powerball drawings are held three nights a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evenings in the United States.

Draw times (by time zone)

• The official draw takes place at about 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

• That corresponds to about 9:59 p.m. Central Time (CT) in states that use CT.

• Some state lotteries (like California) list their local draw time (for example, 7:59 p.m. Pacific Time) because they show the results or close sales earlier in their own time zone while the multi‑state draw is processed.

Ticket sales cut-off

Exact cut-off varies slightly by state, but typically:

• Sales close about 1–2 hours before the drawing time (for example, 7 p.m. PT in California, 8:59 p.m. CT in Arkansas, 9:58 p.m. ET in Indiana).

• After the cut-off, no new tickets can be sold for that night’s draw, and sales reopen for the next drawing once the current draw is complete.

Quick practical answer

• If you are in the U.S., assume Powerball is drawn late evening on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and check your local state lottery site for the exact local time and sales cut-off in your time zone.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.