The deadline to buy Powerball tickets is typically 1 to 2 hours before the drawing. The drawing is held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Ticket sales cutoff times vary by state and time zone:
- Eastern Time Zone states usually close ticket sales around 9:45 to 10:00 p.m. ET.
- Central Time Zone states close sales around 8:59 p.m. CT.
- Mountain and Pacific Time Zone states often have earlier cutoff times, such as 6:45 p.m. PT in some states.
For example, in Florida, sales close at 10:00 p.m. ET, and in Pennsylvania, ticket sales end at 9:59 p.m. ET on draw nights. In Washington state (Pacific Time), Powerball ticket sales close at 6:45 p.m. PT before the 7:59 p.m. drawing. Therefore, the exact cutoff time depends on the state and local lottery rules but is generally 1 to 2 hours before the draw time of 10:59 p.m. ET.
