The Powerball Lottery Jackpot Is Over $1.2 Billion & Here's How To Play For A Record Prize
You don't have to be American to win 👀
A Powerball lottery ticket.
The Powerball lottery's grand prize has officially topped more than $1 billion, meaning that whoever wins it will be taking home a record-setting jackpot.
That is, if someone wins it soon.
The last Powerball draw on Monday night failed to produce a big winner, and that means the jackpot will be rolled over into a prize that's sure to top $1.2 billion whenever it's handed out.
Here's what you need to know about Powerball's billion-dollar prize -- and how you can try to win it.
How much is the Powerball lottery jackpot?
The Powerball lottery prize is estimated to be $1.2 billion ahead of Wednesday night's draw, although ticket sales could still bump that number up.
The winner will have the option to take the prize in increasingly large payments each year for 29 years, or to take home a smaller lump sum of cash.
This draw's cash value is an estimated $596.7 million, Powerball organizers say.
Both options are subject to taxes.
What are the Powerball lottery odds?
The odds of winning something in the draw are 1 in 24.9, while the chances of hitting the big jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
When are the Powerball winning numbers drawn?
The Powerball lottery draw happens each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time in Florida.
The draw for the $1.2-billion prize is this Wednesday night.
What happens if no one wins the Powerball lottery?
The prize money from the Powerball will be rolled over into the next draw, which will happen on Wednesday, October 26.
How can I play the Powerball lottery?
Powerball tickets are sold in 45 of the 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Each ticket is $2 and your ticket must match all six numbers in the draw to win.
There are smaller prizes if you get five of six numbers.
Can Canadians win the Powerball lottery?
Canadians and other foreigners can win the Powerball lottery if they buy a ticket while they're physically in the U.S. There's no citizenship requirement, according to the Powerball rules.
Who won the last Powerball lottery?
A single ticket-holder in Pennsylvania won the last Powerball lottery prize on August 3. That prize was $206.9 million.
There have been five Powerball winners so far this year. The largest jackpot was a $632.6-million prize in early January, which was split up between two winners in California and Wisconsin.
What is the largest Powerball lottery jackpot ever?
The largest Powerball jackpot ever was a $1.586-billion prize. Three ticket-holders shared the winning numbers and split the prize on January 13, 2016.
The largest single-ticket winner of the Powerball was a person in Wisconsin, who claimed $768.4 million in 2019. A single-ticket winner in this lottery would beat that record.
If someone wins Wednesday night's draw, they'll claim the second-largest Powerball jackpot in history and the fourth-largest ever in U.S. history.
The only other lottery to rival Powerball is Mega Millions, which has led to three billion-dollar prizes.