A recent Powerball draw on Saturday resulted in two winning tickets being sold in Missouri and Texas for an impressive jackpot of nearly $1.8 billion (approximately $2.7 billion AUD). According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, the final jackpot amount stood at $1.787 billion, marking it as the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
Winning ticket holders have the option of choosing between an annuitised prize of $893.5 million or a lump sum of $410.3 million, both amounts precede tax deductions. In addition to the jackpot winners, two tickets from Kansas and Texas claimed $2 million prizes, while 18 tickets across 13 different states each won $1 million.
The winning numbers for this draw were 11, 23, 44, 61, and 62, with the red Powerball number being 17 and a Power Play multiplier of 2. The jackpot will now reset to $20 million for the upcoming draw on Monday. This win ends a lengthy streak of 42 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, a period that had persisted since May.
Winning chances for this draw were notably low, with odds set at 1 in 292.2 million, according to the overseeing Multi-State Lottery Association. Tickets are priced at $2 and can be purchased in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The record for the largest Powerball jackpot still remains $2.04 billion, which was won in California on November 7, 2022.