US Powerball players face steep odds as jackpot hits $1bn
Posted By: Sophia Andrew
Posted On: July 19, 2023
People who play Powerball in the US are getting ready for a big chance to win a lot of money. On Wednesday night, there will be a drawing for the Powerball lottery, and the jackpot is expected to be around $1 billion. This would be one of the highest jackpots in American lottery history.
The Powerball lottery has been going on for 38 drawings without anyone winning the top prize. The last time someone won was on April 19th, when the jackpot was almost $253 million. Since then, the jackpot has been getting bigger and bigger.
If someone wins the Powerball jackpot this Wednesday, they could win a huge amount of money—$1 billion! That would make it the third-largest jackpot in Powerball’s 31-year history.
The Powerball lottery is played in 45 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. If someone wins, they can choose to receive the full amount over 29 years in smaller portions each year, or they can choose to get a one-time, lump sum payment of almost $517 million (before taxes).
In November, a person named Edwin Castro from California won an incredible $2.04 billion Powerball prize. He decided to take the lump sum payment, and after taxes, he received over $997.6 million.
After winning a huge amount of money, Edwin Castro decided to spend a small portion of his winnings—less than 3%! He bought a fancy mansion worth $25.5 million in the luxurious Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. Now, he’s living in the same neighborhood as famous people like singer Ariana Grande, actor Dakota Johnson, and comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
To play Powerball, you need to buy a ticket for $2. Then, you have to match all the numbers on five white balls and one red ball.
It’s incredibly difficult to win the Powerball. The chances of winning this specific lottery are about one in 292 million, which is really hard to believe. Unfortunately, there’s not much players can do to increase their chances of winning.
Because it’s really hard to win the Powerball, it’s common for the jackpot to keep growing until more people buy tickets and cover more possible number combinations.
Sometimes, a few Powerball players are able to match all the numbers on the white balls, but they miss out on the red ball. Even though they don’t win the top prize, they still get a decent amount of money as a consolation prize.
In the recent drawing where nobody won, there were five people who matched the numbers on the white balls. Each of them will receive $1 million. They bought their tickets in Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania.
There were three players who decided to pay a little extra for the Power Play option. They were able to match the numbers on the five white balls, and as a result, they won $2 million each. These almost-jackpot winners bought their tickets in Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas.
According to a report from LouisianaBets.com, the state with the most Powerball winners is Indiana, with a total of 39 winners. Missouri comes next with 31 winners, followed by Minnesota with 22, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania with 19 each, Kentucky with 18, Louisiana with 17, Florida with 16, and Arizona, Kansas, New York, and California with 14 to 12 winners respectively.
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