(NBC) Monday night is officially the largest lottery jackpot ever at $1.9 billion with a lump sum payment of $929 million.
If it feels like there have been more billion-dollar jackpots in recent years, that’s because there have been — five to be exact, just since 2016. And there is a reason behind that.
The biggest driver is the fact that they added number combinations a few years ago, which is to say that your odds of winning went down from 1-in-175 million — already not great — to 1-in-almost 300 million.
And so, the longer you go without getting a jackpot, the more that money just builds. We are, right now, through 40 drawings this will be the 41st for Powerball that ties a record.
There are certain numbers that come off regularly even though this is statistically random. Numbers 61 and 32 for the main drawing, and then for the Powerball, 24 and 18 are the most frequent.
And there are also certain states that have won the most and they happen to be in the Midwest; Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania are your top four. Although New York, California, and Florida.
So, just things to keep in mind when you go and take your shot at $1.9 billion Monday night.
The drawing takes place tonight at 7:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
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