Powerball jackpot climbs to $1.73 billion as lottery losing streak continues
The winning numbers for the estimated $1.55 billion Powerball jackpot were revealed Monday night. They were 16, 34, 46, 55, 67 with a Powerball of 14 and a 3x multiplier.
With no winner again Monday night, the jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.73 billion for Wednesday night's drawing.
There haven't been any Powerball grand prize winners since a single ticket sold in Los Angeles claimed a $1.08 billion pot of gold on July 19. Monday night's drawing was the 35th since then, according to lottery officials.
This marks the first time in Powerball history that three back-to-back jackpots have reached the billion-dollar mark, according to Powerball officials.
The biggest jackpot in both Powerball and U.S. lottery history was $2.04 billion, which was won in November 2022 by a man also in the Los Angeles area.
A single winner in Wednesday's drawing would have a choice between a lump sum payment of roughly $756.6 million before taxes, or an annuity option consisting of an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments.
The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
Powerball tickets are $2 each. They are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings take place Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m. Eastern.
Billion-dollar lottery jackpots have become more common in recent years as both Powerball and Mega Millions have raised ticket prices and lowered the odds of winning the jackpot. According to the Washington Post, in 2015 Powerball lowered the odds of winning from 1 in 175.2 million, to where it currently stands at 1 in 292.2 million.
