Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players had another shot at a massive jackpot on Wednesday night when a Powerball prize of $ 731 million was at stake.
According to lottery officials, the winning ticket was sold in Maryland and is the fourth largest jackpot in Powerball history. The single ticket sold matched all six numbers on Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s winning numbers are: 53, 60,40,68,69, Powerball = 22
The jackpot rose to an estimated $ 731.1 million at the time of the draw with a cash option of $ 546.8 million.
The announcement only comes a day after no one has won the even bigger Mega Millions prize, which now stands at $ 970 million.
It was the first time that both lottery jackpots exceeded $ 700 million. The biggest prize was a $ 1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one had won any of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing the prizes to grow steadily for months. Such a long trajectory without a winner is rare, but also reflects the incredibly low odds – one in 292.2 million for Powerball and one in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
Maryland lottery spokeswoman Carole Gentry said the Mega Millions draw brought in $ 260 million in sales Tuesday night, resulting in 36% of all possible number combinations.
Prizes listed are for winners who choose an annuity option, paid out over 30 years. Most winners will choose cash prizes, which would be $ 716.3 million for Mega Millions and $ 546 million for Powerball.
Those prices would also be subject to federal taxes, and most states would receive a discount as well.
Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states, as well as Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands. Powerball is also offered in Puerto Rico.
A look at the 10 biggest US jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $ 1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
2. $ 1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018 (one ticket, South Carolina)
$ 768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, Wisconsin)
4. $ 758.7 million, Powerball, Aug 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
$ 687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
$ 656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois, and Maryland)
$ 648 million, Mega Millions, December 17, 2013 (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
$ 590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013 (one ticket, from Florida)
9. $ 587.5 million, Powerball, Nov. 28, 2012 (two tickets, from Arizona and Missouri)
$ 564.1 million, Powerball, Feb. 11, 2015 (three tickets, from North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and Texas)
ABC OTV contributed to this report.
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