Powerball at $284 Million, No Lottery Jackpot Winners Since Christmas Day

By Daniel Distant, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The Powerball is now at $284 million after no one managed to win the jackpot Saturday. The multi-state lottery grand prize is the biggest it's been since August of 2013, but still pales in comparison to some of the all-time biggest U.S. lottery jackpots.

The Powerball lottery was estimated to be at $284 million by the Multi-State Lottery Association, they announced Wednesday. No jackpot winners were announced, but eight people won $1 million by playing the numbers 24, 25, 34, 37, and 54, with a Powerball of 29.

The last jackpot winner was Kevin Carlson of Kansas City, who won $71.5 million on Christmas Day. The 49-year-old mechanic decided to take the lump sum of a little under $40 million, and the Powerball jackpot has gone untouched since then.

Although it may take some time to top the all-time record— the biggest was a $656 million jackpot for the Mega Millions in March 2012, while the highest jackpot for the Powerball topped out at $590.5 million last May— there is the chance it could increase. Changing the way the lottery works has led to bigger jackpots recently.

43 states participate in the lottery along with Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin islands. Most times people start lining up across the U.S. once the jackpot hits bigger numbers, even though their chances at winning are around 1 in 175 million.

The last big winner was in December, when someone won $636 million while playing the Mega Millions. It was the second biggest win in U.S. history.

The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday.