Powerball Jackpot Hits Staggering $485 Million–Third Highest In The Game’s History
The Powerball jackpot has hit a staggering $485 million, which is the third-largest jackpot in the game’s history and the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, according to the LA Times on February 10. The Powerball lottery debuted on April 22, 1992.
Many dream of what they would do with winnings. What’s the cost for that dream? Powerball tickets are sold for $2 each in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Jackpots start at $40 million and rises when there is no grand-prize winner. No one won last Saturday’s drawing, but two tickets were worth about $1.4 million apiece.
In order to win the jackpot, a ticket must match five “regular” numbers plus a sixth Powerball number. Drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7:59 p.m. Pacific time. Ticket sales end about an hour before each drawing. The odds of matching all six numbers in the game are 1 in about 175 million.
Only six states allow winners to be anonymous. Others offer exceptions for circumstances, such as domestic issues and protecting peace officers.
According to the Chicago Tribune, ticket sales are expected to be high because of the large jackpot. But the Powerball has experienced a slump lately, with almost a year since the jackpot hit $300 million. The last major jackpot was $425 in February, 2014.
The largest lottery prize was a Mega Millions jackpot of an unbelievable $656 million, awarded in March 2012, split amongst winners in Kansas, Illinois, and Maryland. In May, 2013, the largest Powerball jackpot ever of $591 million was awarded.
What are the odds of winning? According to the LA Times, “The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are the same at each drawing — about 1 in 176 million. You’re more likely to be killed by an asteroid in your lifetime.
According to WTVR.com, CBS Channel 6, “It’s more likely, for example, that you will die in a lightning strike (one in 136,000), or on board a plane (one in 8,000).”
“It’s far more likely that you’ll crushed by an asteroid that falls out of the sky (one in 700,000)
It’s also more likely that a high school football player will play professionally (one in 1 million).
And it’s far more likely that you’ll be attacked by a shark (1 in 12 million).”
The winning numbers at last Saturday’s drawing were 5, 10, 21, 34, 58. The red Powerball was 33, as stated in the Inquisitr.
Despite the low odds of winning, there might be one or more winners at the next drawing. Do you intend to play? What would you do with your winnings?
