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Powerball jackpot soars to $620M after no top winner in Wednesday drawing

By Kelly Hayes
Published  September 30, 2021 7:59am EDT
News
FOX TV Digital Team

Odds you win the lottery are slim

What are the odds you win the lottery? You're more likely to be struck by lightning.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $620 million after no lucky winner claimed Wednesday night’s drawing. 

The winner, who must match numbers on five white balls (1-69) and the red Powerball (1-26), also has the option to claim a one-time lump sum payment of an estimated $446 million before taxes.

The next drawing will be held at 10:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Powerball Drawing On Wednesday For 750 Million Is One Of The Biggest Jackpots In Game's History

FILE - A person buys a Powerball ticket at a convenience store on March 26, 2019, in Boynton Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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The Powerball jackpot grows until a winning ticket is sold. Winners can choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 payments over 29 years, or take the lump sum payment. Federal and jurisdictional taxes are applicable to either payout.

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The winning numbers for Wednesday night's drawing were 02, 07, 11, 17, 32, and the Powerball is 11. The Power Play was 3. 

While no one won the grand prize, a total of five tickets matched five balls — which is a $1 million prize, according to lottery officials. Three people matched those numbers plus the power play number, which is a $2 million prize. 

Couple wins lottery, son declared cancer-free

John and Allison McDonald of England won a $2.6 million lottery and their teenage son was given the all-clear from his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The overall odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are just 1 in 292.2 million. To put that into perspective, those odds are a little worse than flipping a coin and getting heads 28 straight times, University of Nebraska-Omaha mathematics professor Andrew Swift previously told the Associated Press. 

For those feeling lucky and want to spend $2 for a ticket, the overall odds of winning any prize is a little better at 1 in 24.9.

The current estimated prize is far from the U.S. jackpot record, which was a whopping $1.586 billion Powerball prize in 2016. Three winning tickets were sold in California, Florida and Tennessee. 

Powerball drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday in 45 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

RELATED: Couple wins lottery, son declared cancer-free in 'truly amazing' 3-day period

This story was reported from Cincinnati.