After getting no winner in the past three months, the U.S.¡¯ premium lottery?'Powerball Jackpot' has increased its prize money to a?world record breaking $1.9 billion. This decision came after no one secured a winning ticket in last Saturday night's drawing, according to lottery officials.
The estimated $1.6 billion that was up for grabs on Saturday had been the largest lotto prize ever offered, Powerball said. And this $1.9 billion takes the record even further.
To win the big prize from the lottery, a player must guess all six lucky numbers, including the final "Powerball," as per a Reuters report.
Surprisingly, no one has won the jackpot since August 3rd, when a lucky ticket holder from Pennsylvania took home over $200 million, according to Powerball.
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The next chance for ticket buyers to clinch the jackpot was scheduled to be Monday's draw, when, as expected, Americans were lining up yet again to buy the tickets. But the California Lottery announced late last night that it¡¯s delaying the Powerball drawing because officials need more time to complete security protocols, as per a CNN report.
The delay is caused by one participating lottery that needs more time to process its sales, the Multi-State Lottery Commission said in a statement. The drawing is still planned to occur after that procedure is complete.
¡°When the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors. Winning numbers will be posted as soon as they are available,¡± the California Lottery said, as per the report.
¡°It is not due to any delays at the California Lottery. There is currently no estimated time for the drawing,¡± said the California Lottery, adding winning numbers will be posted on its Twitter account and website when they are available.
The lottery winner may decide to receive their money as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump sum cash payment. Both types of winnings are?subject to federal and local taxes.
The Powerball drawing takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
For the uninitiated, Powerball is played by usually charging?$2 per ticket and having players choose five white balls between the numbers 1 to 69 and a red Powerball from the numbers 1 to 26. If a player gets all six numbers correct, they win the massive jackpot, as per the report.
The odds of winning the jackpot by matching all 5 numbers and the Powerball number are one in 292.2 million.
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