The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated US$1.04 billion (NZ$1.7 billion) after no players hit it big Saturday night, continuing a stretch of lottery futility lasting for more than two months.
The numbers drawn were: 19, 30, 37, 44, 46 and red Powerball 22.
The jackpot for the next drawing Monday night remains the world’s ninth-largest lottery prize of all time.
The $1.04 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who opts for payment through an annuity doled out over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Monday’s drawing would be an estimated US$478.2 million (NZ$797.6 million).
Those winnings would be subject to federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery prizes.
The jackpot has grown so large because there have been 30 consecutive drawings without a big winner, dating back to July 19. Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins.
The largest jackpot was a US$2.04 billion (NZ$3.4 billion) Powerball prize hit by a player in California in November 2022.
In most states, a Powerball ticket costs US$2 (NZ$3.34), and players can select their own numbers or leave that task to a computer.
Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
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