Ho ho holy jackpot
Santa Claus is coming to town tomorrow night — and so is a chance to win one of the biggest Powerball jackpots in US history after the pot jumped to $1.7 billion after no winning numbers were drawn again Monday.
No one’s won big in more than three months — in 46 straight drawings, according to lottery officials, cracking a new record for the most drawings without a winner in a jackpot cycle.
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after the 46th drawing passed without a big winner. Getty ImagesWednesday night’s jackpot, with an estimated cash value of $781.3 million, will be the fourth biggest in Powerball history.
The odds of winning the jackpot are just 1 in 292.2 million.
The numbers drawn Monday night were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and the Powerball 7.
While there were no big winners, there were nine $1 million winners from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and two from New York.
Since Sept. 6, there have been 46 straight drawings without a big winner. APAnother 107 players won $50,000 prizes, and 28 won $100,000 prizes, according to the lottery.
The overall odds of winning any prize off the $2 tickets, offered in 45 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, are 1 in 25.
If a player wins Wednesday’s jackpot, they can opt to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity that increases by 5% each year — however winners almost always choose the game’s cash option.
The last Powerball jackpot won on Sept. 6 was $1.787 billion, split by two tickets in Missouri and Texas.
