The Powerball jackpot continues to climb after Wednesday night’s drawing produced no grand prize winner. The current estimated jackpot is $760 million, with a cash payout option of $382.5 million. On Wednesday, the numbers that were drawn were: 4, 11, 38, 51, and 68, with a red Powerball number of 5. The Power Play option for Wednesday’s drawing was 3X – amplifying the amount of non-jackpot winning prizes.
Despite no one hitting the grand prize, two players struck it lucky. One player from California won $1 million by matching all five white numbers, while another in Texas utilized the Power Play option and won $2 million. Although both of these are amazing prizes, they are paltry in comparison to the massive jackpot that still remains unclaimed.
The odds of winning such a large prize are quite slim, with a 1 in 292.2 million chance of an individual correctly matching all six numbers. The last time a Powerball player claimed the winning jackpot was on October 11, 2021, awarded to a Californian who won $1.765 billion, the second-largest jackpot in history.
The third-largest prize of $1.537 billion was claimed in October 2018. This year’s second billion-dollar prize was won on July 19, when another Californian won $1.08 billion. These huge jackpots have enticed players from all over to try their luck, and dream of what they could do with such wealth.
Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The tickets cost $2 per play and offer multiple gaming options, including Power Play to boost non-jackpot winnings, which helped the two aforementioned players boost their winnings to $1 million and $2 million dollars respectively. Each ticket is a chance to change one’s life and fulfill dreams that were once out of reach.
The next drawing for Powerball is on Saturday night, and millions of people across the country are eagerly anticipating the results. With such a large prize on the line, it’s no wonder that many have flocked to their local convenience stores and gas stations to purchase tickets. It only takes one lucky ticket to change someone’s life. So, it begs the question: who will be the next Powerball jackpot winner to step forward? Only time will tell.