Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players had another chance at a giant jackpot on Wednesday night, with a $ 731 million Powerball prize at stake.
According to lottery officials, the winning ticket was sold in Maryland and is the fourth largest prize in the history of Powerball. The single ticket sold corresponded to all six numbers on Wednesday night.
The winning numbers for Wednesday are: 53, 60,40,68,69, Powerball = 22
The jackpot rose to around $ 731.1 million at the time of the draw, with a cash option of $ 546.8 million.
12 tickets matched all five white balls, but did not match the red Powerball in Wednesday’s draw to win a $ 1 million prize. The $ 1 million winning tickets were sold in California (2, sold in Woodland Hills and Redlands), Georgia (2), Illinois (2), Maine, Michigan, New Jersey (3) and Oregon. Another ticket, sold in Maryland, combined all five white balls and doubled the prize pool to $ 2 million, because the ticket included the Power Play option for an additional $ 1.
The announcement comes just a day after no one has won the even bigger Mega Millions prize pool, which now stands at $ 970 million.
It was the first time that the two lottery prizes reached $ 700 million. The biggest prize was a $ 1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one had won any of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing the prizes to increase continuously for months. Such a long period without a winner is rare, but it also reflects the incredibly small chances of winning – one in 292.2 million for Powerball and one in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
Maryland lottery spokeswoman Carole Gentry said the Mega Millions draw on Tuesday night recorded sales of $ 260 million, resulting in 36% of all possible number combinations being covered.
The listed prizes are for winners who choose an annuity option, paid over 30 years. Most winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $ 716.3 million and $ 546 million for Powerball.
These premiums would also be subject to federal taxes, and most states would accept a cut as well.
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.
A look at the top 10 US jackpots that were won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $ 1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
2. $ 1.537 billion, 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 pass, 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 pass, 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.
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