There has been a jackpot winner in the $730 million Powerball, the first to get the top prize in months.
Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players had another shot at a giant jackpot Wednesday night with a $730 million Powerball prize was on the line. The winning ticket was sold in Maryland, pushing the new jackpot to an estimated $20 million for the next drawing Saturday.
The winning ticket was sold in Allegany County, Maryland, at Coney Market in Lonaconing, the Maryland Lottery announced.
The jackpot was the fourth-largest Powerball prize ever, and it came only a day after nobody won the even-larger Mega Millions prize, which now stands at $970 million.
Winning numbers for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing were: 40-53-60-68-69 and a Powerball of 22.
It was the first time both lottery jackpots topped $700 million. The biggest prize was a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one had won either of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing the prizes to grow steadily for months. Such a long stretch without a winner is rare but also reflects the incredibly small odds of winning — 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
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The prizes listed are for winners who choose an annuity option, paid over 30 years. Most winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $716.3 million and $546 million for Wednesday's Powerball. After the Powerball win, the new jackpot has a $15 million cash value.
Those prizes also would be subject to federal taxes, and most states would take a cut as well.
Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is offered in Puerto Rico.
