Powerball jackpot climbs to $1 billion
The prize in Monday’s drawing will be the second-largest in U.S. history. The odds are 1 in 292.2 million.
DES MOINES — The Powerball jackpot for Monday’s drawing will be $1 billion, lottery officials said Saturday night after no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $825million grand prize.
Saturday’s winning numbers were 19, 31, 40, 46, 57. The Power Ball was 23.
The increased jackpot will be the second-largest in U.S. history. The biggest prize was a $1.586-billion Powerball jackpot won by three ticketholders in 2016.
Although the advertised top prize will be an estimated $1 billion, that is for winners who receive their winnings through an annuity paid over 29 years. Winners almost always opt for cash, which for Monday’s drawing will be an estimated $497.3 million.
The $825-million jackpot for Saturday’s draw increased from $800 million Friday as a result of strong ticket sales, Powerball said.
Players who missed out on the latest grand prize in the 30-year-old lottery shouldn’t immediately toss their receipts.
A Florida ticketholder matched the five white balls in Saturday’s drawing and increased the prize to $2 million by including the game’s “Power Play” feature. Six tickets won a $1-million prize by matching five white balls, including two in California, two in Michigan, one in Maryland and one in Texas.
An additional 17 tickets won a $150,000 prize, and there were 80 winners of $50,000 each. More than 3.8 million tickets won cash prizes totaling above $38 million, Powerball said.
It has been nearly three months since anyone hit all six numbers and took the lottery’s top prize, with a $206.9-million jackpot win in Pennsylvania on Aug. 3. Thanks to Powerball’s long odds of 1 in 292.2 million, there have been 37 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.