The longer the game goes without a grand prize winner, the larger the payout will grow.
That's how the Powerball game works -- and since no one hit the $1 billion jackpot during Monday's drawing, the reward has swelled to $1.2 billion.
Powerball tickets cost $2 per play. During a Powerball drawing, five white balls are drawn, each containing a number from 1 to 69, along one with red Powerball, which contains a number from 1 to 26.
In order to win the jackpot, players must match all six numbers.
Lucky Numbers vs. "Quick Picks"
Many people play the lotto with “lucky numbers” – combinations of birthdays, dates, phone numbers, digits that come to them in dreams, and more.
While some select their own lotto numbers, others play Quick Picks, which are numbers that are randomly generated by machines.
Chances of winning the lotto between playing quick picks or selecting your own numbers are both equal.
“Around 70 to 80 percent of Powerball players use Quick Pick tickets, and the same percentage of winning entries are Quick Picks,” one report said. “This shows that regardless of whether players choose to select their own numbers or not, the odds of winning remain the same.”
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Despite having equal odds, both options have their pros and cons.
Playing Quick Pick is the fastest way to play, but leaves the possibility open for repeat numbers and combinations.
Selecting your own numbers gives you complete control over your numbers, but can take longer to play in stores, especially when the jackpot reaches enticing numbers for the non-regulars to want to participate.
Do You Need to Match All 6 Numbers to Win a Payout?
While players can win a payout in nine different ways, only the grand prize jackpot can be won by matching six numbers.
Players can win various payouts from one, two, three, four, or five matched numbers. That prize increases if the Powerball number is matched, or if a supplemental on "Power Play" was added on. Those prizes cap out at $2 million.
According to the Powerball website, "Match 5" winning tickets for Monday's drawing were sold in California, Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas and Indiana.
Each of those payouts? A cool $1 million.
When is the Next Powerball Drawing?
The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 9:59 p.m. CST. It is currently worth $1.2 billion.
Powerball drawings are every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
