Powerball jackpot climbs to estimated US$700 million

A customer purchases a Powerball lottery ticket at the Brew Market & Cafe on October 10, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

After there was no winner in Wednesday night’s drawing, Powerball’s jackpot has climbed to an estimated US$700 million (more than C$972 million).

The new figure, which bests its earlier $643 million jackpot, is one of the largest prizes in the history of Powerball. The last jackpot was already the largest of 2025 as the lottery has gone without a winner since May 31.

• Read more: Can Canadians win the Powerball jackpot?

Preliminary data from the Multi-State Lottery Association, which helps facilitate the Powerball lottery, shows Powerball sales are 40 per cent higher than they were at this point last year.

“As the jackpot increases, we expect ticket sales to increase,” the association said.

While the size of the jackpot and the ticket sales have risen, the odds of winning the top prize have not. The chances of winnings the jackpot stand at about 1 in 292 million.

If someone wins in the next drawing, they’ll get to choose between the jackpot amount, which is paid out in 30 annual payments, or a one-time cash option of approximately $316.3 million.

The next drawing is set for 10:59 p.m. Saturday.

The largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history was $2.04 billion and won by a lone ticket in Altadena, California, on Nov. 7, 2022.

By Gordon Ebanks, CNN