No big winner yet. What are your odds of winning the next Powerball jackpot of $1.4 billion?
Wednesday’s Powerball drawing didn’t produce any big winners, raising the jackpot to $1.4 billion for the next drawing this Saturday and luring players to a former winning spot.
This estimated jackpot ranks as the third largest in the Powerball game and fifth largest among all U.S. lottery jackpots, according to Multi-State Lottery Assn.’s news release. It will also be the 34th drawing in the jackpot run without a player matching all six numbers, and the first time in Powerball history that back-to-back cycles have generated billion-dollar grand prizes.
The Powerball jackpot was previously won in July, with the big winner claiming about $1 billion. It was the third-largest Powerball jackpot in history and the seventh-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever. The winner never publicly came forward, but the ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles.
The market’s operator, Maria Menjivar, said people are driving hundreds of miles to buy tickets at her store.
“My business has increased over 40%,” she told the California Lottery.
With the purchase of a ticket, she said, customers are buying other items from her store.
Revisiting a lucky spot is a common phenomenon whenever a lottery retailer sells a big winning ticket, according to the California Lottery.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
If a player wins the jackpot on Saturday night, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $1.4 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $643.7 million before taxes, according to the news release.
If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
Wednesday’s drawing produced more than 3.2 million winning tickets of smaller amounts across the country, including seven tickets that matched all five white balls to win $1-million prizes. Three tickets matched all five white balls and increased the $1-million prize to $2 million by including the Power Play feature for an additional $1 per play.
Other big wins include 81 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 13 tickets that won $100,000 prizes.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Powerball drawings are also livestreamed on Powerball.com.
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