Powerball jackpot climbs to $865 million as long winless drought continues
An electronic billboard advertises the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots, Monday, March 25, 2024, in in Des Moines, Iowa, that when combined amount to nearly $2 billion. It's the first time the two lottery games each have jackpots of $800 million or more. Credit: AP/Scott McFetridge
DES MOINES, Iowa — The numbers have been drawn for an estimated $800 million Powerball jackpot that has grown so large thanks to nearly three dozen consecutive drawings without a winner of the top prize.
The numbers drawn Monday night were: 7, 11, 19, 53 68 and red ball: 23
No one has won the game’s jackpot since New Year’s Day, making 35 straight drawings without a big winner. It’s tough to win the Powerball jackpot because the odds are so long, at 1 in 292.2 million.
The $800 million prize is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity, with an initial payment and then 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year. Most winners choose a cash payout, which for Monday’s drawing would be an estimated $384.8 million.
The Powerball prize has mushroomed at a time when Mega Millions, the other nearly national U.S. lottery game, has become even bigger with an estimated annuity payout of $1.1 billion. The next Mega Millions drawing will be Tuesday night.
Both games are sold in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is sold in Puerto Rico.
