News writer, Interviewer
Only one draw separates America from a potential billion-dollar holiday miracle. Monday's Powerball jackpot has climbed to $1.6 billion, making it the fourth-largest in game history and the fifth-largest among all U.S. lottery jackpots.
The cash value sits at $735.3 million. Both options come before taxes.
The numbers that didn't hit
Wednesday's drawing produced no grand prize winner. The white balls 25, 33, 53, 62, 66, and red Powerball 17 went unclaimed. The Power Play multiplier was 4.
Saturday's numbers were 4, 5, 28, 52, 69, with 20 as the Powerball number. The Power Play multiplier was 3.
While there were no jackpot winners, eight tickets still walked away with a million-dollar prize.
These were winners from California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan (two of them), New Hampshire, and Ohio.
The drawing also created 112 tickets worth $50,000 and 22 tickets worth $150,000.
A record-setting run
This marks the 46th drawing in the current jackpot cycle. That's a Powerball record for the most drawings without a winner.
The last jackpot fell on September 6 when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split $1.787 billion.
This jackpot run represents only the second time Powerball has produced back-to-back billion-dollar prizes. The first occurred in 2023, when a $1.08 billion jackpot hit on July 19, followed by $1.765 billion on October 11. California won both.
What's at stake
Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, stated:
This jackpot is set to deliver the ultimate windfall. The jackpot grows with every $2 ticket sold, and a portion of each ticket supports local public programs and services.
Since 1992, Powerball has generated more than $37 billion for public causes. More than half of each ticket's proceeds stay in the jurisdiction where it was sold.
Winners face a choice: take the annuitized $1.6 billion paid over 30 years with 5% annual increases, or grab the $735.3 million lump sum.
The odds are tough
Your chances of winning any prize stand at 1 in 24.9. The odds of hitting the jackpot? 1 in 292.2 million.
Powerball tickets cost $2. The game operates in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Saturday's drawing is streamed and airs live at 10:59 p.m. ET from Tallahassee, Florida.
Will this be the Christmas that changes everything for one lucky ticket holder? Or will the jackpot roll again, pushing deeper into uncharted territory?
Two draws left until Christmas. The clock is ticking.
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