The ball continues to roll as the Powerball jackpot has now swelled to an impressive and near-record-setting $1.55 billion for Monday night’s drawing.
The game went winnerless again on Saturday night, as the numbers were 47, 54, 57, 60, 65, and the Powerball was 19.
The pot is now the third largest in the game’s history at $1.55 billion, just a touch shy from the second-place $1.586 billion jackpot won in 2016.
While no one became a billionaire overnight, several people became millionaires, as 10 tickets sold in last night’s drawing were able to match all five of the first numbers.
The tickets were sold in Kansas, California, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and two each in Maryland and Texas.
Two tickets sold in Iowa and Maine matched all five white balls and played the multiplier, which won the players $2 million.
If someone can beat the 1 in 292.2 million odds and take home the jackpot on Monday, they will be able to take their prize as an annuitized option that is worth the entire $1.55 billion, paid out over 29 years or a lump sum of $679.8 million, before taxes.
As of late, both the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries have continued to push near the $1 billion mark, and lottery executives have noticed.
Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko shared a statement on Friday acknowledging the recent trend, as the Powerball will now have its first-ever back-to-back billion-dollar-plus jackpot winners when someone claims the current prize.
“This has become another top-charting jackpot in the Powerball game, and we’ve had several factors align at the right time to be able to support back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots,” Svitko said.
Monday’s drawing will take place at 10:59 p.m. EST.