The Powerball jackpot soared to an estimated $1.8 billion for Saturday night’s drawing after no tickets came up winners of Wednesday’s $1.4 billion grand prize, Powerball said. Saturday’s pot of gold would have an estimated cash value of $826.4 million. Both totals are before taxes.
The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were 3, 16, 29, 61 and 69, with a Powerball of 22.
Saturday’s windfall would be the second-biggest in U.S. lottery history, only trailing the world-record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won on Nov. 7, 2022, in California.
Including the upcoming drawing, there have been six jackpots of more than $1 billion in Powerball’s 33-year history.
So far this year, the Powerball jackpot has been grabbed four times.
Saturday’s drawing will be the 42nd since the Powerball jackpot was last won on May 31, by a lucky ticket-holder in California. The current run of 41 ties the game’s mark for most consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The only other Powerball jackpot streak to get to 42 drawings ended on April 6, 2024, with a $1.326 billion jackpot won in Oregon.
If a single ticket wins this Saturday’s jackpot, its purchaser would get to choose between an annuity-tied estimated $1.8 billion or the lump sum payment of roughly $826.4 million, known as the cash value. If a winner picks the annuity option, they would get an immediate payment followed by 29 annual ones that increase by 5% each year.
The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball. Drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m. ET.
Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Kierra Frazier is a news editor for CBS News & Stations.
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