Since no one could guess the correct six numbers in the previous 39 draws, the amount has only grown.
The next draw, the 40th since the top prize last fell on August 3, will take place on Saturday evening. If the top prize doesn’t fall again, the record for the number of draws without a big winner in a row will be equaled, the organizers of the Powerball say.
So far, the biggest lottery win ever was $1.58 billion. This prize was awarded in the United States in 2016 by Powerball, but then three winners had to share the main prize.
The odds of winning the jackpot are only one in 292.2 million. By comparison, according to data from US health authorities, the chance of being struck by lightning is one in a million.