There’s a winning ticket for the $730 million Powerball jackpot, 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.
The winning ticket was sold in Maryland.
The Powerball jackpot was the fifth-largest ever, and it came only a day after nobody won the still-growing Mega Millions prize, which now stands at an estimated $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 simultaneously. 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.
Maryland lottery spokeswoman Carole Gentry said Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing saw $260 million in sales, resulting in 36% of all possible number combinations being covered.
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.
The jackpot for the next Powerball drawing, on Saturday, will be an estimated $20 million.
