The Powerball jackpot has climbed beyond the $900 million mark, making it the eighth-largest prize in the game’s history — even as the staggering odds remain a reminder that winning is far less likely than being struck by lightning more than once.
After Saturday night’s drawing failed to produce a ticket matching all six winning numbers, the grand prize rolled over to an estimated $905 million for Monday’s drawing. The biggest Powerball jackpot ever still stands at a jaw-dropping $2.04 billion, won in 2022 by a ticket sold in California.
The winner of Monday’s Powerball jackpot would have the option of taking the full prize through 30 payments spread over 29 years, or choosing a one-time cash payout estimated at $392 million before taxes, according to Powerball.
The jackpot has been building for months, with no player claiming the top prize since May 2.
To win it all, a ticket must match five white balls and the red Powerball — a feat with odds of 1 in 292,201,338. Prediction market OddsReference has noted that a person is more than 19,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to land the Powerball jackpot.
Other comparisons are just as eye-opening: data from multiple sources suggests someone is more likely to be struck by lightning twice in a lifetime, give birth to natural quadruplets, or even be hit by a meteor than win the Powerball grand prize.
Saturday’s $856 million jackpot went unclaimed, but the drawing still delivered major wins. One ticket sold in Texas matched all five white balls and included the Power Play option, earning a $2 million prize, according to Powerball.
Four more tickets, including one purchased in New York, matched all five white balls and secured $1 million prizes apiece, the lottery said.
Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the next one scheduled for Monday, Aug. 10, just before 11 p.m. on the east coast.
