The jackpot for the New Year’s Day drawing was even higher than projected.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The winning numbers were drawn Saturday for one of the highest Powerball jackpots on record.
The January 1 drawing was for a total cash prize of $518.7 million but that has since grown to $522 million. Before the drawing, Powerball officials had estimated the jackpot at $500 million, but that grew due to strong sales in the hours before the drawing.
The winning numbers were as follows:
The New Year’s Day jackpot winner could choose to take a one-time cash payment of $355 million or the entire jackpot paid out in 30 installments over 29 years.
While the jackpot this time is large, the chance of winning all that money remains minuscule at one in 292.2 million. The odds of winning, in general, are 1 in 24.9. It’s not uncommon to have months go by without a grand prize winner.
No one has won the Powerball jackpot for 37 drawings in a row. The last time someone hit jackpot was Oct. 4 in California, winning $699.8 million. That jackpot was the seventh-largest in U.S. lottery history and fifth largest in Powerball history.
Curious about the largest jackpot ever? Powerball says it holds the world record for the largest jackpot. The record $1.586 billion payout, set in 2016, was shared by winners in California, Florida, and Tennessee.