That didn’t bother those eager to plunk down their money on Wednesday for a long-shot chance at instant wealth. And wins in recent months have been few and far between. Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins. The only top prize that was ever bigger was the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier advertised estimate of $1.73 billion for Wednesday night’s drawing. That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 20. The jackpot is the world’s second-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 36 consecutive drawings. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion.
