Powerball lottery reaches new record of 1,600 million dollars

Strong sales pushed the Powerball jackpot to an estimated $1.6 billion on Friday, making it the largest lottery jackpot in history.

A drawing will be held on Saturday night for the Powerball prize, which has not been won in over three months. That series of 39 consecutive draws without a winner is a reflection of the difficult odds of winning a jackpot, which is one in 292.2 million.

The advertised jackpot is the prize for a winner who chooses an annuity paid out over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for the cash prize, which for Saturday night’s drawing would be approximately $782.4 million.

The new jackpot tops the previous record of $1.586 million won in 2016 by three Powerball players in California, Florida and Tennessee.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

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