UNITED STATES (REUTERS) - The Powerball jackpot climbed to US$1.5 billion (S$2.16 billion) on Tuesday (Jan 12), making the largest US and world lottery jackpot for a single winner even larger, according to lottery officials.
The jackpot is worth US$930 million if a winner chooses an immediate cash payout instead of annual payments over 29 years, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.
The Powerball lottery drawing is on Wednesday. The game is played in 44 states, Washington, and two US territories.
Americans have been rushing to buy tickets, some buying hundreds at a time.
A US$2 ticket has a one in 292.2 million chance of winning the grand prize, Powerball said.
That compares with a one in 700,000 chance of being killed by an asteroid in a lifetime, according to astronomers at the Space Science Institute.
