Players in a US lottery will get another chance Monday at a jackpot estimated at over $1bn.
No one has matched all six numbers in the Powerball game since 31 May, allowing the jackpot to swell to $1.1bn, which would be the fifth-largest prize in the game’s history. Payments would be spread over 30 years, or a winner could choose an immediate lump sum of an estimated $498.4m, again before taxes.
The odds of matching all six numbers are astronomical: 1 in 292.2 million. The likelihood of getting struck by lightning is far greater. But with so many people putting down money for a chance at life-changing wealth, someone eventually wins.
Powerball, which costs $2 per ticket, is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Drawings are held each week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights.