WASHINGTON — Powerball's jackpot rises to an estimated $700 million for Saturday's drawing as its winnerless streak continues.
Nobody won the $653 million jackpot Wednesday, but three tickets did win big: Players in Florida and North Carolina won $1 million by matching all five numbers; another in New York won $2 million with the Power Play multiplier.
The prize has grown steadily since Nov. 19, shortly after the lottery game paid out a record-breaking $2.04 billion.
Saturday's jackpot of $700 million is among the largest lottery prizes in U.S. history.
The winner must choose between an annuity, which is paid over 29 years, or the cash option.
Powerball winning numbers for 2/1/23
The winning numbers for Wednesday, Feb. 1 are 31-43-58-59-66 and Powerball 9.
What are my chances of winning the Powerball?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
Over the past few years, huge lottery jackpots have become more common as lottery officials have changed the rules and ticket prices to boost top prizes.
Powerball's biggest change came in 2021 when officials decided to add a Monday drawing to its weekly lineup of Wednesday and Saturday evening drawings. At the time of the announcement, Powerball proclaimed the addition of the Monday drawing would lead to "larger, faster-growing jackpots."
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What are the largest US lottery jackpots ever won?
$2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
$1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
$1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
$1.35 billion Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
$1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
$1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
$768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
$758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
$731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)
$699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021 (one ticket, from California)