An absolutely massive Powerball drawing is going to take place in a matter of hours. It’s the biggest jackpot in more than eight months and has been gaining attention throughout the week.
It’s worth $635 million. If there’s no winner tonight it will likely swell to more than $700 million. It could get close to the $731 million prize from the January 20 drawing.
There have been 39 consecutive drawings without a winner. Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
The odds of winning are not great, but that hasn’t discouraged people from buying tickets to gain entrance into the drawing. Experts say that the odds to win the jackpot are one-in-292 million.
To be clear, the person who wins the Powerball jackpot has options. They can either claim a lump sum – expected to be around $450 million before taxes – or collect from an annuity over 29 years. That would be worth the full-value.
Powerball is played in 45 states across the U.S., as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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