Powerball at its 33rd straight drawing, now at $1.4 billion

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The 33rd consecutive drawing of the multi-state Powerball lottery game, which took place on Wednesday, did not yield a jackpot winner. Consequently, the jackpot has soared to an astonishing $1.4 billion.

The fortunate winner of this colossal prize can choose between a lump-sum payment of $643.7 million in cash, a sum exceeding half a billion dollars, or the annuity option for the upcoming drawing scheduled for October 7th. This remarkable jackpot now ranks as the third-largest in the history of the Powerball game and the fifth-largest ever recorded in the United States.

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In the year 2023, the world of lotteries has already witnessed four jackpots surpassing the billion-dollar milestone, with two occurring in the Mega Millions and two in Powerball. Eric Hagler, the Lottery Executive Director, highlighted the historical significance of these back-to-back billion-dollar jackpot cycles, emphasizing that Powerball had previously awarded a $1.08 billion jackpot on July 19th. Since then, there have been 32 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.

A recent survey indicates that Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have been consistently breaking records due to the convenience of purchasing tickets online and the addition of an extra drawing day.

The winning numbers for the October 4th drawing, with a grand prize of $1.2 billion, were 9, 35, 54, 63, and 64, with the Powerball number 1 and a Power Play number of 2. These numbers held the potential to transform someone into a millionaire.

Additionally, Wednesday's Double Play drawing featured the winning numbers 12, 30, 39, 64, 67, and Powerball 22. Double Play is available in 14 states and offers players the chance to win up to $10 million for just $1 per play. Unfortunately, no one claimed the massive jackpot, but ten fortunate players matched the first five numbers, winning $1 million each. Two of these winners hailed from California, and they will each receive a prize of $1,220,123.

Furthermore, three second-prize tickets, purchased with the Power Play option for an additional $1 per play, saw their prizes double to $2 million each. These tickets were sold in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

In the Wednesday drawing, 94 tickets matched four white numbers and the Powerball, securing a prize of $50,000 each. Of these 94 tickets, 13 players had wisely chosen the Power Play option, doubling their winnings to $100,000 each. Notably, 14 of these winning tickets were sold in California, where the prize for this particular drawing amounted to $17,500.

Following Wednesday's drawing, lottery officials raised the estimated jackpot for Powerball to $1.4 billion on an annuity basis, with a cash value of $868 million.

Alternatively, individuals can conveniently order tickets 

online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in select U.S. states such as Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app empowers users to select their preferred lottery game and numbers, place their order, view their ticket, and claim their winnings, all through their smartphone or home computer.

It's worth noting that Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett, the parent company of USA TODAY, may earn revenue through referrals to Jackpocket services. Players must be of legal gambling age, which varies by state (18+, 21+ in AZ, and 19+ in NE). Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery, and for those seeking help with gambling problems, support is available through helplines like 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) in New York, 1-800-327-5050 in Massachusetts, 1-877-MYLIMIT in Oregon, and 1-800-GAMBLER for all others. For a comprehensive understanding of the terms and conditions, individuals are encouraged to visit jackpocket.com/tos.