DES MOINES, Iowa: There was a $ 730 million Powerball prize winner, the first to win the top prize in months.
Thanks to math and bad luck, the lottery players had another shot at a giant prize Wednesday night with a $ 730 million Powerball prize. The winning ticket was sold in Maryland, pushing the new prize to an estimated $ 20 million for next Saturday’s draw.
The biggest Powerball prize was the fifth biggest in history and only came a day after no one won the even bigger Mega Millions prize, which now stands at $ 970 million.
The winning numbers in Wednesday night’s Powerball draw were: 40-53-60-68-69 and a Powerball of 22.
It was the first time both lottery prizes topped $ 700 million. The biggest prize was a $ 1.58 million Powerball prize won by three people in 2016.
No one had won any of the awards since mid-September, which allowed the awards to grow steadily for months. Such a long stretch without a winner is rare, but it also reflects the incredibly small odds of winning: 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
Maryland lottery spokeswoman Carole Gentry said Tuesday night’s Mega Millions draw saw sales of $ 260 million, accounting for covering 36% of all possible number combinations.
The prizes mentioned are for the winners who choose a life annuity option, paid for 30 years. Most of the winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $ 716.3 million and $ 546 million for Wednesday’s Powerball. Following Powerball’s victory, the new prize has a cash value of $ 15 million.
These awards would also be subject to federal taxes and most states would also have a reduction.