It has been three months since Powerball last produced a winner, which has caused the lottery’s jackpot to climb gradually.
After having its 40th drawing in a row without a winner on Saturday, Powerball upped Monday’s jackpot to a record $1.9 billion. The previously largest U.S. lottery jackpot was the Jan. 13, 2016 Powerball drawing, which was worth $1.586 billion.
After each drawing without a winner, Powerball increases the jackpot. How much Powerball increases its jackpot is dependent on ticket sales.
The $1.9 billion jackpot figure is based on the winner choosing the annuity option. If the winner takes the lump sum, that person would win $929 million.
If no one wins Monday’s Powerball, it will mark the lottery’s longest streak of drawings without a winner.
Monday’s jackpot marks the fifth time in U.S. history a multi-state lottery has offered a jackpot over $1 billion.
The odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 292 million. There have been four winning Powerball tickets sold in 2022.
The Powerball jackpot has grown since a winning ticket was sold on Aug. 3.
Powerball also has prizes of $4 up to $2 million. The odds of winning a smaller prize are about 1 in 25.
Powerball is played in 45 states and Washington, D.C.