The Powerball jackpot increased to $1.23 billion after there was no winner on Wednesday
The fourth-largest Powerball jackpot occurred again on Wednesday and grew to an estimated $1.23 billion before the next drawing.
Why it matters: The jackpot is now the eighth-largest lottery prize in the US and surpasses last week’s $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
“Every time that jackpot goes up and more people play, the chances of winning go up,” Drew Svitko, Powerball product group president and Pennsylvania Lottery executive, told Axios.
Driving the news: The cash option for the April 6 drawing has increased to $595.1 million, according to the Powerball newsletter.
Wednesday’s drawing was the 40th consecutive drawing in this jackpot draw. The last Powerball jackpot was won on January 1.
Background: Powerball made the game harder to win in October 2015 by adding more white balls to the mix. Mega Millions changed its rules and odds in 2017.
The changes to both lotteries are designed to create more possible number combinations, making the chances of winning more of a pipe dream.
Lower odds of winning mean bigger jackpots with larger prizes, causing more people to claim their tickets in hopes of winning.
April 3 Powerball winning numbers. The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were 11, 38, 41, 62 and 65 with the red Powerball being 15.
Did anyone win Powerball Wednesday?
The Latest: No one matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing, according to Powerball.
Nine tickets matched all five white balls to win the $1 million prize. What time is the Powerball lottery, how to watch it live Powerball draws are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The next drawing is Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on the Powerball website and television stations nationwide from the Florida Lottery drawing room in Tallahassee.
Powerball winning odds
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
The overall odds of winning are 1 in 24.9. Yes, but: The odds of being struck by lightning in a year are less than one in a million, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How to play Powerball lottery
Play state: Lottery players can choose six numbers from two separate groups of numbers – five different numbers from 1 to 69 (white balls) and one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
“Quick Pick” or “Easy Pick” tickets can also be purchased where numbers are selected automatically.
Powerball and Power Play ticket prices
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play but for an additional $1 per play you can add the Power Play feature to “multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times”.
- Multipliers are randomly selected just before each drawing.
- The Match 5 prize with Power Play is always $2 million, Powerball said.
- According to the lottery, the 10X multiplier only applies when the advertised jackpot annuity is $150 million or less.
Powerball closing time: How late to buy tickets?
The deadline to purchase Wednesday lottery tickets varies by state because Powerball tickets are sold in each lottery.
According to Powerball, the cut-off time is usually one to two hours before the drawing.
Powerball lottery tickets are sold in these states
Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah do not participate in the lottery.
Powerball bonus amount
By the numbers: Here are the payouts for matching numbers with and without Powerball for all drawings:
- Strong Ball: $4
- One number and Powerball: $4
- Two numbers and Powerball: $7
- Three numbers: $7
- Three numbers plus Powerball: $100
- Four numbers: $100
- Four numbers plus Powerball: $50,000
- Five figures: $1 million
- Five numbers plus Powerball: Jackpot