CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Powerball jackpot continues to climb, as the prize money has now jumped to $1.04 billion dollars ahead of the drawing on Monday night, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
The total number has been able to steadily rise since the lottery has gone 32 consecutive drawings without a big winner with the last one happening nearly two-and-a-half months ago on July 19th.
This Powerball jackpot remains the fourth largest in its history. The eventual winner has the opportunity to take the $1.04 billion jackpot in annual payments over 30 years or $478.2 million in cash.
The odds of matching numbers on all five white balls are 1 in 11.6 million.
While the total surpassed a billion dollars, a North Carolina contestant won $2 million from the Powerball drawing on Saturday night, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.
The winning numbers came from a $3 Power Play ticket from a Murphy Express gas station on East Gannon Avenue in Zebulon.
The winner’s ticket matched all five white balls for $1 million, but the prize money doubled with a 2x multiplier hit, according to lottery officials.
The lucky winner has 180 days to claim the prize, officials say.
