The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.04 billion after no players hit it big Saturday night, continuing a stretch of lottery futility lasting for more than two months.
The winning numbers Saturday were: 19, 30, 37, 44, 46 with a red Powerball of 22 and a Power Play of 2x.
The jackpot for the next drawing Monday night remains the world’s ninth-largest lottery prize of all time, behind earlier prizes in the Powerball and Mega Millions games that all topped $1 billion.
The jackpot has grown so large because there have now been 31 consecutive drawings without a big winner, dating back to July 19. Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
The largest jackpot was a $2.04 billion Powerball prize hit by a player in California in November 2022.
In most states, a Powerball ticket costs $2 and players can select their own numbers or leave that task to a computer.
The $1.04 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who opts for payment through an annuity, doled out over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Monday’s drawing would be an estimated $478.2 million.
Those winnings would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.
Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
