After no one won Saturday’s Powerball jackpot of $900 million, it is expected to grow to $1.3 billion by the next drawing on Wednesday, January 13.
Saturday's winning numbers were 16, 19, 32, 34, 57 and a Powerball number of 13. Gary Grief, who is the executive director of the Texas lottery, said on Sunday that he was surprised to see the results, according to ABC News.
If you're planning on purchasing a Powerball ticket for Wednesday's drawing (and if you're not, you should, because why not take your chances at winning over a billion dollars?) then here are some general things you should know, and some tips for if you happen to win.
To win, you need to have all six numbers–the first five can be in any order, but the sixth must be the Powerball number.
On Saturday, there was a 1 in 292.2 million chance of winning the grand prize. Which means that the chance will get smaller by Wednesday.
But hey, you could be that one person!
The estimated cash value of Wednesday's drawing is $806 million if you choose to take it in a lump sum.
Don't forget about taxes!
Saturday's jackpot was the largest lottery prize in U.S. history, and that is now being surpassed.
Nearly 1/3 of all lottery winners go bankrupt, according to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
According to Powerball, non-jackpot prizes on Saturday totaled around $159 million.
If you do win the jackpot...
Don't accept the prize money right away.
Prize claims vary by state, so make sure you check what yours is, but give yourself time to figure out what exactly to do with your winnings.
Sign your ticket right away.
Hire a professional to take care of your money.
That's a very large amount of money to suddenly own, so make sure you have someone to help you that won't be trying to take it away from you.
Set a budget for yourself.
Donate to charity!
