The jackpot has not been won since Saturday 17th September, when William and Heather ten Broeke, from Atlanta in Georgia, scooped a magnificent $246.8 million after the husband was reminded to buy a ticket whilst out shopping. It has started to grow more quickly over the past couple of weeks and the lure of such a massive prize, as well as the holiday spirit, are set to drive up sales even further, increasing the chances of someone winning in the next draw.
The Powerball jackpot has been given away on five separate occasions in 2016, including the record-breaking draw on 13th January when three tickets split a colossal $1.58 billion. James Stocklas from Florida also won $291 million on 2nd March, while prizes of $429 million and $487 million were given away on 7th May and 30th July respectively, before the most recent win from the Ten Broekes.
If there is a single winner this weekend, they will have to decide whether to receive the full $403 million in 30 annual instalments or take a one-off cash sum of $243.8 million. Even if the jackpot rolls over again, lots of players are sure to be able to celebrate in the other prize tiers. There were more than 1.5 million winners in total in the most recent draw, including three participants who matched five main numbers to win $1 million each.
The jackpot is won if anyone matches all five main numbers plus the Powerball, and players can buy tickets by either going to authorised retailers in the participating jurisdictions or entering online from around the world. It could just be that there is a new addition to the top ten of the biggest Powerball winners by Saturday night.