Thanks to math and bad luck, the lottery players had another shot at a giant prize on Wednesday night, as there was a $ 731 million Powerball prize.
According to lottery officials, the winning ticket was sold in Maryland and is the fourth largest prize in Powerball history. The individual ticket sold matched the six numbers Wednesday night.
Wednesday’s winning numbers are: 53, 60,40,68,69, Powerball = 22
The prize was raised to an estimated $ 731.1 million at the time of the draw with a cash option of $ 546.8 million.
The announcement comes just a day after no one won the even bigger Mega Millions award, which now stands at $ 970 million.
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 winning is rare, but it also reflects the incredibly small odds of winning: one in every 292.2 million for Powerball and one in every 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 Powerball.
These awards would also be subject to federal taxes and most states would also have a reduction.
Mega Millions and Powerball are played in 45 states, as well as in Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands. Powerball is also offered in Puerto Rico.
Take a look at the 10 biggest awards in the United States that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $ 1,586 million, Powerball, January 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
2. $ 1,537 million, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018 (one ticket, South Carolina)
3. $ 768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, Wisconsin)
4. $ 758.7 million, Powerball, August 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
5. $ 687.8 million, Powerball, October 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
6. $ 656 Million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)
7. $ 648 million, Mega Millions, December 17, 2013 (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
8. $ 590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013 (one ticket, from Florida)
9. $ 587.5 million, Powerball, November 28, 2012 (two tickets, from Arizona and Missouri)
10. $ 564.1 million, Powerball, February 11, 2015 (three tickets, from North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas)
ABC OTV contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2021 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.