With No Big Winners Drawn, Powerball Jumps to $1.7B

The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after the 46th drawing passed without a big winner, the AP reports. The numbers drawn Monday night were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54, and the Powerball 7. Since Sept. 6, there have been 46 straight drawings without a big winner. The next drawing will be Christmas Eve on Wednesday, with the prize expected to be the 4th-largest in US lottery history.

Powerball's odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game's many smaller prizes. There are three drawings each week. The estimated $1.7 billion jackpot goes to a winner who opts to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game's cash option, which for Monday night's drawing would have been an estimated $735.3 million. Powerball tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.