News writer, Interviewer
The Powerball jackpot has hit $1.1 billion for Monday night's drawing. The cash value sits at $503.4 million.
This marks the sixth-largest jackpot in Powerball history. But here's what makes it different: it's now the longest jackpot run the game has ever seen.
A record-breaking streak
Monday's drawing will be the 43rd consecutive drawing without a winner. That's a new Powerball record for the most drawings in a single jackpot cycle.
The last time someone won? September 6, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize.
Since then, the jackpot has rolled 42 times. Each roll adds to the total, and now we're looking at a billion-dollar prize during the holiday season.
Saturday's near misses
No one matched all six numbers in Saturday's drawing: white balls 1, 28, 31, 57, 58, and red Powerball 16. The Power Play multiplier was 2X.
But seven tickets still won big. Five tickets, sold in California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia, matched all five white balls for $1 million each.
Two other tickets did even better. Sold in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, they also matched five white balls. But because those players added Power Play for an extra dollar, their prizes doubled to $2 million each.
The drawing also produced 49 tickets worth $50,000 and 12 tickets worth $100,000.
In the separate Double Play drawing, two tickets in Colorado and North Carolina each won $500,000 after matching all five black balls.
What would you do with $1.1 billion?
Winners face a choice: take the full $1.1 billion as an annuity or grab the $503.4 million lump sum. Both amounts are pre-tax.
The annuity option pays out over 30 years. You get one immediate payment, then 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
The lump sum gives you everything at once (well, everything after taxes).
Which would you choose?
The odds remain the same
Your chances of winning the jackpot stand at 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9.
Those numbers haven't changed. But the jackpot has climbed steadily, drawing in more players with each roll.
Where the money goes
More than half of all proceeds from Powerball ticket sales stay in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Since 1992, Powerball has generated over $37 billion for causes supported by U.S. lotteries.
Tickets cost $2 per play. You can buy them in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When to watch
Powerball drawings happen every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. They're broadcast live from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee and streamed online.
Monday's drawing could end the longest jackpot run in game history. Or it could roll again, pushing the prize even higher and extending this unprecedented streak.
Check your tickets. The next millionaire could be you.
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