Powerball ticket purchase deadlines vary by state but generally close one to two hours before the drawing. The official Powerball drawings happen at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The cutoff time for buying tickets is usually around 9:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET in Eastern Time Zone states, around 8:59 p.m. CT in Central Time Zone states, and earlier in Mountain and Pacific Time Zone states (sometimes as early as 6:45 p.m. PT). Some examples include:
- New Jersey: 9:59 p.m. local time
- New York: 10:00 p.m. local time
- Delaware: 9:45 p.m. local time
- Arkansas: 8:59 p.m. local time
- California: 7:00 p.m. local time
- Arizona: 6:59 p.m. local time
Ticket sales stop 1 to 2 hours before the actual drawing to allow for processing.
In Florida, tickets must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. ET for the Powerball drawing.
In summary, to buy Powerball tickets on drawing day, it is best to purchase them at least one to two hours before the 10:59 p.m. ET drawing time, depending on the specific state or jurisdiction's cutoff time.
