As Powerball jumps over $1 billion, millions wonder who will win the sixth largest jackpot in lottery history

​The Powerball jackpot has now gone over $1 billion, and people everywhere are talking about it. Many are calling it a “holiday miracle” chance because the prize is now around $1.1 billion for Monday night’s draw.

If someone wins and chooses the cash option, they would get about $503.4 million before taxes. This makes it the sixth biggest Powerball jackpot ever.

Why the Jackpot keeps getting bigger

The jackpot has grown so large because no one matched all six numbers in the most recent drawing. This caused the prize to roll over again.

This run has now reached 43 drawings in a row without a jackpot winner, which is a new Powerball record.

The last time anyone won the grand prize was in September, when two players in Missouri and Texas shared a massive $1.787 billion jackpot.

Big Jackpots are more common now

In the past, jackpots of a billion dollars were rare. Now they happen more often because many more people buy tickets when the prize gets this high.

The largest lottery prize ever was $2.04 billion, won in California in 2022. Since then, several jackpots have gone over the $1 billion mark again.

Even though no one hit the jackpot this past weekend, many players still won large prizes.

Here are some of the wins from the latest drawing:

• Five tickets matched all five white balls for a $1 million prize
• Two players doubled their prize to $2 million by using the Power Play
• Many others won $50,000 or $100,000

​What are the odds of winning?

The chance of winning the jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million.

This is why the jackpot grows so high — it is very hard to win.

How to play Powerball

Powerball tickets cost $2 each and are sold in:

• 45 U.S. states
• Washington, D.C.
• Puerto Rico
• U.S. Virgin Islands

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More than half the money from each ticket stays in the state where it was sold. This money helps support public programs like schools. Since Powerball started in 1992, it has helped raise over $37 billion.

When are the Drawings?

Powerball drawings happen three times a week:

• Monday
• Wednesday
• Saturday

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All drawings take place at 10:59 p.m. ET.

With the jackpot now above $1 billion, millions of people are hoping their ticket might be the lucky one. The big question now is: Will someone finally win on Monday night?