Powerball jackpot climbs to $835 million after no one...
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The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $835 million after no one beat the immense odds Monday night and won the top prize.
The winning numbers were: 10, 12, 22, 36, 50 and 4.
The grand prize on Wednesday swelled past $800 million and will have a cash prize of $390.4 million up for grabs, according to Powerball's website.
There now have been 29 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, dating back to July 19 when a player in California won $1.08 billion.
That winless streak is due to the miserable odds of winning the Powerball jackpot, at 1 in 292.2 million.
Vinnie Clemente, right, buys Powerball tickets from Elias Harv at a gas station, on July 14, in Crystal, Minnesota
It's those long, long odds that result in such large top prizes, as they cause the jackpot to roll over week after week.
To compare the long-shot odds of winning the jackpot, the National Weather Service puts the odds of getting hit by lightning at 1 in 15,300. The odds of getting bitten by a shark are 1 in 3.7 million.
Biggest jackpots in US history
1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 2022 (one ticket, in California)
2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, in California, Florida, Tennessee)
3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, in South Carolina)
4. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, in Illinois)
5. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, in Michigan)
6. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, in Wisconsin)
7. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, in Massachusetts)
8. $731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, in Maryland)
9. $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021 (one ticket, in California)
10. $687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018 (two tickets, in Iowa and New York)
Still, the low odds haven't stopped players from purchasing the $2-ticket and dreaming of how their lives would change with a win.
There were some big winners on Monday - with three tickets sold in Florida and one in Oregon matching five of the numbers to win $1 million prizes.
The biggest jackpot was a $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in November 2022 in California.
The Powerball jackpot was previously won on July 19, when a ticket bought in California matched all five white balls and the red Powerball for $1.08 billion.
Winners can either take the money as a cash lump sum or in 30 annual payments over 29 years.
The prize options do not include taxes.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59pm Eastern Time from the Florida Lottery draw studio.
Lia Nower, a professor and the director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, previously said the lottery has historically acted as a regressive tax on the poor.
It means the people that can least afford to lose their money buy the most tickets.
She said her 'concern with lottery is really more people who are buying it every day or two or three times a week' as opposed to those who purchase one ticket as the jackpot nears $1 billion.
The payout for the drawing, Sept. 25, 2023 has grown so large because it has been building for more than two months, since a player in California matched all six numbers on July 19
Although the game highlights the $835 million prize, that is for a winner who is paid through an annuity over 30 years.
Winners almost always choose the cash payout option, which for the next drawing Wednesday night will be an estimated $390.4 million.
The giant jackpot would also be subject to federal taxes, and some states also tax lottery winnings.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
