Wednesday’s jackpot will be a world record, with the Powerball website stating it is now at $1.3 billion.
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With no one matching all the numbers, the new jackpot is expected to hit $1.3 billion.
The winning numbers – disclosed live on television and online – were 16-19-32-34-57 and the Powerball number 13.
The odds to win are one in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball.
To win the jackpot, a ticket must have all six numbers correct. Players choose their first five numbers from a pool of 69 and another number – called the Powerball – from a separate pool of 26. The odds to win the largest lottery prize in US history were one in 292.2 million.
Sales for Saturday night’s drawing, in which $949.8 million was at stake, had been robust in the participating 44 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The previous record, $587.5 million, was split between two winners in 2012.
According to the Maryland Lottery, a winning “second tier” ticket worth $1 million was sold in Worcester County, Maryland. The game’s jackpot starts at $40 million and grows until it is won.
Cripe says 75 percent of all combinations have been bought.
The Powerball jackpot has increased to $900 million just hours before the drawing.
Lottery officials say a victor would have the option of being paid $900 million through annual payments over 29 years or opting for a $558 million lump-sum cash payout. No one has won Saturday’s Powerball prize, say lottery officials.
Powerball officials will allow you to purchase all possible number combinations, but it isn’t a smart thing to do.
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Individual lotteries keep the profits and use them for projects approved by local legislatures, usually to include some money going to education.
