There is a winning ticket for the $ 730 million Powerball jackpot, the first to receive the top prize in months. The lucky ticket for Wednesday night’s draw was sold in Maryland, lottery officials said.
CBS Baltimore reports that it was sold in Allegany County.
It was the fourth largest jackpot in the history of Powerball and the fifth largest in the history of the US lottery.
Came later nobody won the Mega Millions award still growing Tuesday night. This is now at about $ 970 million for the next draw on Friday night.
The winning numbers for Wednesday night’s Powerball draw were: 40-53-60-68-69 and a Powerball of 22.
It was the first time that the two lottery prizes reached $ 700 million simultaneously. The biggest prize of all time was a $ 1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one has won any of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing prizes to increase continuously for months.
These long periods without winners are rare, but they also reflect the incredibly small chances of winning – 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
Wednesday’s draw was the 36th in the Powerball race that started on September 19, 2020 – the longest jackpot in Powerball history.
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 would be $ 546.8 million for Wednesday’s Powerball and $ 716.3 million for the next Mega Millions draw.
Prizes are also subject to federal taxes. Most states also receive a cut.
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.
The jackpot for the next Powerball draw on Saturday will be estimated at $ 20 million, with a cash value of $ 15 million.
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. $ 731.1 million, Powerball, January 20, 2021 (one pass, from Maryland)
6. $ 687.8 million, Powerball, October 27, 2018 (two tickets, from Iowa and New York)
7. $ 656 million, Mega Millions, March 30, 2012 (three tickets, from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland)
8. $ 648 million, Mega Millions, December 17, 2013 (two tickets, from California and Georgia)
9. $ 590.5 million, Powerball, May 18, 2013 (one pass, from Florida)
10. $ 587.5 million, Powerball, November 28, 2012 (two tickets, from Arizona and Missouri)