U.S. Powerball jackpot rises to $1.5 billion

The jackpot for the Powerball lottery in the United States has risen to $1.5 billion, making it one of the biggest ever jackpots in the world, officials say. No one won during Wednesday’s drawing.

The official Powerball website said the estimated jackpot for the next drawing, on Saturday night, had risen to at least $1.5 billion. The cash value stands at $745.9 million.

Lottery fever was already starting to set in after the jackpot reached $1.2 billion for Wednesday’s drawing, but no one won the big prize. The winning numbers were 02-11-22-35-60 and Powerball 23.

Some people came close to winning the jackpot. 19 tickets sold across 14 U.S. states matched 5 out of 6 numbers, earning them $1 million. Three of them paid $1 extra for Power Play, doubling their prize to $2 million.

The Powerball jackpot was last hit on August 3, when someone in Pennsylvania won $206.9 million. Since then, there have been 39 Powerball drawings in a row in which no one won the grand prize.

Powerball tickets are sold in 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

The jackpot is paid out in 30 installments over a period of 29 years, though winners can choose for a smaller prize – the cash value – which is paid out right away. Both prizes are subject to federal and local taxes.

At $1.5 billion, Saturday’s jackpot will be the third-biggest prize in the world. The world’s biggest jackpot was a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016, when the prize was split among three winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.