Cross your fingers: Powerball climbs to $1.6 billion, setting all-time record for Saturday drawing
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The Powerball jackpot is the world’s largest, $1.6 billion. And it’s only Saturday.
The Powerball jackpot is the world’s largest, $1.6 billion. And it’s only Saturday.
After rolling over six previous Powerball pools that are each worth $1 billion, players have hit the all-time $1.6 billion mark with a drawing that is now the biggest Saturday drawing ever.
As of Saturday night, the odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are now one in 292.3 million, according to a National Lottery spokeswoman who would not disclose the number.
With a winning ticket worth $1.6 billion, the grand prize can be claimed for only for a single entry over the next 35 years.
As of 2 a.m. Saturday, tickets had been sold or donated in 27 states, while three had gone unclaimed, said spokeswoman Michelle Hodge.
The total for the Powerball jackpot will be rounded to $1 million, meaning Powerball is guaranteed one million winners. The $2 million and $3 million prizes are still possible but would be extremely rare if there is another winning ticket.
To be eligible, the winner must be at least 18 years old and have been in the U.S. since September 15, 2012, according to the game’s website.
But the winning ticket will not guarantee the winner of a record jackpot. The winner can only receive the prize after several days elapse and $365 million in unclaimed prizes are claimed.
That means the record jackpot jackpot can hit again if someone else wins the Powerball drawing.
A record jackpot has been won before: $650 million in 1996 won by Texas resident Carolyn Conroy, who became the richest woman in the world when she died of a heart attack in 2003 at age 68. The top prize in the