Lucky player in Washington wins $747 million Powerball prize

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone in Washington state overcame steep odds Monday night to win an estimated $747 million Powerball jackpot.

The winning numbers were 05, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 07.

Lottery officials said in a statement early Tuesday that a single ticket matched all six numbers and was worth $754.6 million.

The full jackpot is for a winner opting for an annuity distributed in one immediate but partial payout followed by additional payments over 29 years that increase by 5% annually. The winner also can opt for a one-time cash payment of $407.2 million.

Both prizes available are the amounts before taxes, Powerball said.

The lottery game’s website shows the jackpot for the next drawing on Thursday has dropped to $20 million.

Monday night’s win was the first Powerball jackpot win since Nov. 19, 2022. That winless streak allowed the prize to grow larger and larger until it stood as the ninth-largest in U.S. history.

Higher interest rates have allowed annuity payments to increase compared with earlier jackpots, when rates were lower. Most winners prefer the immediate cash prize.

The game’s abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes drawing more players. That strategy certainly has worked recently, as someone in Maine won a $1.35 billion Mega Millions prize in January and a California player hit a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot last November. No one has claimed either of those prizes.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.