The fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history — $1.7 billion — will be up for grabs in Wednesday evening’s multi-state Powerball lottery drawing after the record 47th consecutive drawing without a ticket with all six numbers sold.
A ticket with all six numbers hasn’t been sold since Sept. 6, when one ticket each with all six numbers was sold in Missouri and Texas when the jackpot had reached $1.787 billion, the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
The jackpot is the fourth-largest in the history of the Powerball game, which began in 1992.
If a player wins the jackpot, he or she will have the choice between an annuitized prize estimated at $1.7 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $781.3 million. Both prize options are before taxes.
If the winner selects the annuity option, he or she will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
The odds of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number is 1 in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game. The overall chance of winning a prize is 1 in 24.9.
The Powerball game is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands