An estimated $850 million Powerball jackpot is up for grabs Wednesday night for players willing to risk a couple dollars and brave incredibly long odds.
The jackpot is the world's ninth-largest lottery prize of all time, behind earlier prizes in the Powerball and Mega Millions games that all topped $1 billion.
Did you win? Here are Wednesday's winning numbers: 1, 7, 46, 47, 63, Powerball 7 and Power Play 3x
The jackpot has grown so large because there have been 29 consecutive drawings without a big winner, dating back to July 19. Powerball's terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins.
The largest jackpot was a $2.04 billion Powerball prize hit by a player in California in November 2022.
In most states, a Powerball ticket costs $2 and players can select their own numbers or leave that task to a computer.
The $850 million jackpot is for a sole winner who opts for payment through an annuity, doled out over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Wednesday night's drawing would be an estimated $397.4 million.
Those winnings would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.
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.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
