The Powerball Lottery Jackpot Is Over $500M & You Don't Need To Be American To Win
What would you do with half a billion dollars?
Who wouldn't want to start a new year with a half a billion dollars in their bank account?
The grand prize in the massive Powerball lottery has officially grown to more than US$500 million, thanks to a three-month drought with no big winner.
The jackpot was at $540 million ahead of Monday night's draw, but that number will only grow if no one wins it.
And if the no-win streak continues, the jackpot could soon become one of the 10 richest in U.S. history.
The last jackpot winner was a single ticket-holder in California who nabbed a whopping $699.8 million from a draw on October 4, 2021, according to Powerball organizers.
"There have been 37 drawings in a row without a jackpot winner," officials said in a news release on Sunday, after the first draw of 2022.
The Powerball is one of the biggest lotteries in the U.S. and while tickets are only sold inside the country, you don't need to be an American citizen (or even a U.S. resident) to win.
Canadians can also take a shot at the grand prize if they simply cross the border to buy a US$2 ticket. Or you could find someone you trust to buy it for you.
The largest Powerball jackpot ever was $1.586 billion, and that was split between three ticket-holders after the draw on January 13, 2016.
Of course, winners don't get the full lump sum of cash upfront. According to the rules, you can choose to take the payout in annual instalments over 29 years, or accept a smaller lump sum of cash.
In Monday's draw, for example, the jackpot winner could take the $540 million over time or claim $384.3 million right away.
So if you're already planning to buy an island or a sports franchise with your winnings, you might want to factor that into your calculations — along with the extraordinarily long odds that you'll actually win the grand prize.
The Powerball draw happens every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday with several smaller cash prizes available in the million-dollar range.
That means that if no one hits the jackpot on Monday, there'll still be a few smaller winners — and an even bigger prize up for grabs on Wednesday.