DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Saturday night marked the drawing of numbers for a Powerball lottery jackpot estimated at $1.8 billion, making it the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The numbers selected were: 11, 23, 44, 61, and 62, with the Powerball number being 17.
Officials have not yet said whether anyone overcame Powerball’s abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million by matching all six numbers.
The prize was the result of 40 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The last drawing with a jackpot winner had been on May 31.
Powerball’s steep odds are intentionally crafted to produce mammoth jackpots, with the prize pool swelling each time there is no winning ticket. Officials remind players that while the jackpot odds are slim, the chances of winning smaller prizes are significantly better. Drawings occur three times per week.
The projected $1.8 billion jackpot applies to a winner who chooses the annuity option, receiving 30 payments over 29 years. However, most winners opt for the game’s cash alternative, which for this draw would be approximately $826.4 million.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
