Tonight's Powerball drawing will be the second-highest lottery jackpot on record: an estimated $1.8 billion.

The prize ballooned after the lottery held more than 40 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all of the game’s six numbers. No one has won this grand prize since May 31.

The game’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots and ever-larger prizes. There are three drawings each week.

The largest jackpot on record, $2.04 billion, was drawn in 2022 and went to a California ticket buyer.

The $1.8 billion jackpot is for a winner who opts to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game’s cash option, which for this drawing would be an estimated $826.4 million.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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