Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing went without a jackpot winner, pushing the top prize to an estimated $1 billion for Saturday. It’s the second largest of this year, lagging only the $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot in September, claimed by two winners in Missouri and Texas.
Powerball and Mega Millions, the two largest lottery games in the United States, have been trying to garner larger jackpots. Here’s how:
* Higher ticket prices
* Changing the odds
* Higher interest rates
* Expanding the games nearly nationwide
Powerball and Mega Millions ticket prices have crept up over the last 13 years. A portion of sales goes to the prize pool, and the jackpot rolls over to subsequent drawings – and grows with additional sales – until it is won. Higher prices naturally lead to higher jackpots.
jh937hfiu3hrhv9 on
Uncle Sam needs you, buy those tickets.
Canuck-overseas on
It’s rather absurd they have such large prizes. Why not 1000, 1million $ winners?….
AdRadiant9379 on
It’s a tax on people bad at math
ProstetnicVogonJelz on
Anecdotal but in the last year I feel like I ALWAYS notice people at the grocery store and gas stations at the lottery machine. It’s depressing every time. You just know they’re the people that can least afford throwing money in the trash for an impossible dream.
chinmakes5 on
Didn’t they up the odds (make it harder to win) a few years back? They rationalized it that they sell a lot more tickets when the numbers are higher.
7 Comments
Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing went without a jackpot winner, pushing the top prize to an estimated $1 billion for Saturday. It’s the second largest of this year, lagging only the $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot in September, claimed by two winners in Missouri and Texas.
If it seems like [jackpots have been getting larger](https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/12/business/us-lottery-jackpots-1-billion?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit) over the past few years, they have. The first US lottery jackpot over $1 billion came in 2016, when winners in Florida, California and Tennessee split a $1.586 billion Powerball prize. The current Powerball jackpot will be the 14th ever US lottery prize of at least $1 billion, and the 12th since January 2021.
Powerball and Mega Millions, the two largest lottery games in the United States, have been trying to garner larger jackpots. Here’s how:
* Higher ticket prices
* Changing the odds
* Higher interest rates
* Expanding the games nearly nationwide
Powerball and Mega Millions ticket prices have crept up over the last 13 years. A portion of sales goes to the prize pool, and the jackpot rolls over to subsequent drawings – and grows with additional sales – until it is won. Higher prices naturally lead to higher jackpots.
Uncle Sam needs you, buy those tickets.
It’s rather absurd they have such large prizes. Why not 1000, 1million $ winners?….
It’s a tax on people bad at math
Anecdotal but in the last year I feel like I ALWAYS notice people at the grocery store and gas stations at the lottery machine. It’s depressing every time. You just know they’re the people that can least afford throwing money in the trash for an impossible dream.
Didn’t they up the odds (make it harder to win) a few years back? They rationalized it that they sell a lot more tickets when the numbers are higher.
I thought only CIA agents win and its fake