Powerball Jackpot Blasts to $1.73 Billion
Tuesday October 10th 2023The second-biggest jackpot in the history of world lotteries will be on offer in the next Powerball drawing on Wednesday, after Monday night again passed without a winner.
Wednesday’s grand prize will be worth an estimated $1.73 billion, with a cash value of $756.6 million, although strong ticket sales could push the final figure up even higher.
There was a feeling of excitement ahead of Monday’s drawing that the jackpot might be won at last, having rolled over since a Californian player won more than $1 billion on July 19.
The winning numbers for October 9 were 16, 34, 46, 55 and 67, with Powerball 14. The Power Play was 3X, and in total there were more than 3.7 million prizes paid out across the U.S.
On a thrilling night, five players matched all five main numbers but missed the Powerball. One of those - a ticket holder from Florida - had added the Power Play option so their payout was doubled to $2 million.
Another Billionaire Beckons
After the jackpot proved to be tantalizingly out of reach, it is now higher than the famous $1.586 billion mark from January 2016 which was the Powerball record for several years. On that occasion, there were three big winners after the jackpot had jumped an extraordinary $600,000 from the previous drawing.
The increases are not so large anymore, but another rollover on Wednesday night could take the jackpot past the $2 billion for only the second time.
It first happened less than a year ago, when the grand prize grew to $2.04 billion before Edwin Castro from California won the lot.
It remains to be seen whether the current jackpot goes to a single player again, or if it will be split like the one in 2016. There’s no limit on how high it could go, so potentially the prize might keep climbing and climbing.
However, with so many more tickets being sold when the jackpot is high, more of the possible combinations are covered and so there is a greater chance that someone will match all the numbers.
When there is a winner, they will have to decide between taking the jackpot as an annuity or a lump sum. Depending on where they live, they may also be allowed to stay anonymous.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to play for the $1.73 billion jackpot. Pick up a ticket now and then check after the draw to find out how lucky you have been.