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Powerball Jackpot Skyrockets to $1.7 Billion After No Winner in $1.4B Drawing

The dream of an instant billionaire will have to wait a few more days.

No one matched all six numbers in Wednesday night’s $1.40 billion Powerball drawing, sending the jackpot surging to an estimated $1.7 billion — one of the largest prizes in U.S. lottery history.

The winning numbers drawn were 3, 16, 29, 61, 69 with 22 as the Powerball.

Though the grand prize went unclaimed, plenty of players still struck it rich: four ticket holders who matched the five white balls and activated the Power Play option won $2 million each, while 11 others matched five numbers to snag $1 million prizes.

The next drawing will be held Saturday.

The Powerball jackpot climbed to $1.7B after Wednesday’s drawing turned up no winners.

If someone does hit the jackpot, they’ll face a tough choice: either take a lump-sum payment of roughly $770.3 million before taxes, or receive the full prize as an annuity paid out over 30 years, with annual payments rising by 5%.

The odds of winning the jackpot remain a daunting 1 in 292.2 million.

Wednesday’s result continues a streak that dates back to May 31, the last time anyone hit the Powerball jackpot. Since then, the prize has grown into a headline-grabbing fortune, inching closer to the record-setting $2.04 billion jackpot of 2022.

With tickets sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, anticipation for Saturday’s draw is expected to reach fever pitch as millions of hopefuls chase a once-in-a-lifetime payout.

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