It has been since Sept. 6 that anyone has hit all six numbers in the multistate Powerball lottery, causing the jackpot to grow with each drawing.

On Wednesday, the streak of drawings without a winner grew to 41, as no one matched the five white balls and one Powerball. Without a winner, Friday's jackpot will hit $1 billion million, making it the seventh-largest jackpot in the lottery's history.

If someone wins the jackpot, they have the option of choosing the $1 billion payment spread over 29 years, or a lump sum worth about $461.3 million before tax.

The Sept. 6 drawing, which marked the last time someone hit all six numbers, produced two winners. The winners opted to split that drawing's $1.7 billion jackpot.

Although Wednesday's drawing did not result in a jackpot winner, players in

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