The jackpot, the maximum prize of Powerball, one of the main ones in the United States lottery, is getting bigger and bigger. The prize accumulated again this past Saturday, the 29th, because no player hit the six dozen of the prize estimated at US$ 825 million (more than R$ 4.3 billion).
This means that the next contest, which takes place this Monday, October 31, will be worth 1 billion dollars (more than R$ 5.2 billion), according to the organization of the award.
That jackpot is the fifth largest in US history, behind another Powerball jackpot and three Mega Millions jackpots. The biggest prize was a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot, which was split between three winners in 2016.
Although the announced main prize pool is estimated at 1 billion dollars, it is not always that amount that players pocket. According to the rules of the lottery service, the lucky ones can choose between pocketing the total amount through annual installments over 29 years, or receiving the hefty part of the prize promptly.
Generally, winners prefer to receive payment immediately, which for Monday’s contest is estimated at $497 million.
Nearly three months have passed since a player matched all six tens and won the Powerball jackpot jackpot of $206 million in Pennsylvania on August 3. The odds of hitting Powerball are 1 in 292 million.
About Powerball
Powerball is a United States lottery game offered in 45 US states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The contests for this lottery are held twice a week.
