Powerball jackpot grows to an estimated $760 million as no winning ticket is sold
As 2023 draws to a close, Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot drawing closed the door on people’s dreams of winning a jackpot – for now. No winning ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball, according to the game’s website, meaning what had been a $700 million jackpot will rise to an estimated $760 million top prize.
The next drawing is scheduled for Saturday, which will be the last for 2023. That prize, if as large as estimated, would be the sixth-highest in the history of the multistate lottery game, according to the association that helps run it.
The last time someone won the Powerball jackpot was in October, when the prize was $1.7 billion. That ticket, which was sold in California, was the second-largest in the game’s history.
When no one wins a jackpot, the prize rolls over. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Those odds are long – and one reason the jackpots get so large. This year saw two jackpot wins that were greater than $1 billion, both in California.
Both Powerball and a similar game, Mega Millions, changed the games during the last decade. Powerball was changed in 2015, and Mega Millions was changed in 2017. The changes made it harder to win jackpots, but, according to game officials, made lower-tier prizes easier to win.
As the anticipation for the next drawing builds, the chance to become an overnight millionaire remains enticing for many hopeful players. The Powerball jackpot continues to captivate the nation, with dreams of striking it big still alive for those participating in the popular lottery game.
Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.