The US Powerball jackpot has climbed to a record $1.9bn (£1.7bn) ahead of Monday’s draw after there was no winning ticket for Saturday’s prize.
The premier lottery game has had no winner in more than three months after 40 consecutive drawings.
The odds of winning the jackpot in Monday’s draw are one in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
The previous world-record jackpot was set in 2016, when $1.59bn was split between three Powerball players.
Monday’s draw is scheduled for 11:30pm EST (04:30 GMT).
“Like the rest of America, and the world, I think we’re all eager to find out when this historic jackpot will eventually be won,” Drew Svitko, the chair of the Powerball Product Group, said in a statement.
While no-one claimed Saturday’s winning prize, there were 16 tickets matching the five main numbers to win $1m each. Another ticket – drawn in Kentucky – won $2m , while 219 tickets across the US won $50,000 and 51 won $150,000.
Only one other Powerball jackpot reached 41 consecutive drawings. The 2021 drawing ended with a nearly $700m winner in California.
Powerball tickets cost $2 to buy, and a winner has the option to choose a lump sum payment, which is currently estimated at $929m for Monday’s draw.
Winners can also choose to receive the full amount in an annuity paid over 29 years, but almost all winners opt for the upfront cash option.
The game, which began in 1992, is played in 45 of the 50 US states, the capital city of Washington, and in the US territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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A ticket must match all six numbers drawn to score the jackpot.
If multiple winners select the same combination of numbers in the draw, they will share the jackpot.
The jackpot was last won on 3 August, when the owner of the winning ticket opted for a lump sum payment of $206.9m.
In July, a “Mega Millions” ticket sold in Illinois won $1.34bn.
SOURCE: BBCNEWS
