It’s no April Fool’s joke: Monday’s Powerball drawing lottery jackpot has reached nearly $1 billion. The current jackpot is estimated at $975 million for Monday night’s drawing.
This is Powerball’s fifth-largest jackpot and the biggest advertised jackpot this year.
“This is no April Fools’ Day joke, we have an advertised Powerball jackpot that’s closing in on $1 billion to kick off the month of April,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and Pennsylvania Lottery executive director. “This is an exciting time to play Powerball. Whether you’re a frequent or new player, please remember to keep the game fun by playing responsibly. It only takes one ticket to win.”
The Powerball jackpot increased Saturday night after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn – white balls 12, 13, 33, 50, 52 and red Powerball 23. The Power Play multiplier was 3x.
Despite there being no jackpot winner, more than 2.3 million tickets won cash prizes in last night’s drawing.
Four tickets matched all five white balls and won $1 million prizes. The $1 million-winning tickets were sold in Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Nationwide, there were also 55 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 11 tickets that won $150,000 prizes.
The Powerball jackpot was last won on Jan. 1, 2024, by a ticket in Michigan that won a prize worth $842.4 million.
Since then, there have been 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.
Monday’s drawing will be the 39th drawing in the jackpot run.
If a player wins the jackpot in Monday’s drawing, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $975 million or a lump sum payment estimated at $471.7 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5 percent each year.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play.
Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Support AFP
Share
Crystal Graham
