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Keith Srakocic
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AP
A rack with cards bettors can use to choose their own numbers for the Powerball lottery is seen Friday on a counter at a market in Prospect, Pa.
DES MOINES, Iowa — People showed up at convenience stores, groceries and gas stations around the country to snatch up lottery tickets for a chance at Monday night’s massive $1 billion Powerball jackpot.
The jackpot soared after no one matched all six numbers in Saturday night’s drawing. It’s the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. The biggest prize was a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot won by three ticketholders in 2016.
No one has hit all six numbers since Aug. 3, a testament to how slim the odds are of winning the jackpot: one in 292.2 million.
The $1 billion jackpot prize is for winners who opt to take the full amount piecemeal over 29 annual payments. Nearly all winners opt for a lower cash payment, which for Monday’s drawing would be an estimated $497.3 million.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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