The jackpot is estimated to increase to $680 million by Wednesday’s drawing, drawing close to the ninth-largest prize in the game’s history.
WASHINGTON — Powerball’s jackpot ascended to $625 million for Monday’s drawing, making it the 8th largest prize in the game’s history. And the prize will get even larger, as nobody won the jackpot.
After yet another winless drawing on Saturday, the jackpot surged past the $600 million mark. On Monday, the lottery game announced the prize had increased hours before the drawing.
One lucky player in Texas is now a millionaire after getting all five numbers right, but their ticket didn’t include the Powerball.
The grand prize for Wednesday’s drawing will be an estimated $680 million — $326.1 million if the winner chooses the more popular cash option.
The winning numbers for Monday’s drawing were 18-23-35-45-54, Powerball 16 and Power Play 4.
Players must match all five numbers and the Powerball to win the jackpot. While no one beat the 2 in 292.2 million odds to win the jackpot Saturday, a handful of tickets matched the five numbers to win $1 million. These tickets were sold in New York, South Carolina and Texas.
The Powerball jackpot has been growing since early August, racking up 34 drawings without a big winner.
It’s not the first time this year a major lottery game has grown to eye-popping levels. Americans were sent into a lottery craze this summer when a near-record $1.377 billion Mega Millions jackpot was up for grabs in July. Two people from Illinois came forward last month to claim that prize, but they chose to stay anonymous.
Powerball still holds the world record for largest jackpot with a whopping $1.586 billion prize won in 2016. That prize was shared by winners in Tennessee, Florida and California.
While this jackpot is Powerball’s 8th largest, it still has a ways to go before it hits the total top 10. Here’s a look at the biggest U.S. jackpots ever, according to the Associated Press.
Powerball jackpot winners have the option of receiving an annuity payment, paid over 29 years, or a lump sum payment. There have been five Powerball jackpot winners so far in 2022.