The Powerball jackpot is now at $1.09B – but you have to play to win.
The Powerball jackpot is now up to $1.23 billion after no one won the $1 billion grand prize on Wednesday.
But there were two $1 million winning tickets sold in Massachusetts.
One $1 million Powerball winner bought their ticket at a Cumberland Farms in Medway, while the other winning ticket was bought at a Wegmans in Medford. A third person won $150,000 on Powerball on a ticket purchased at Harmony Two Liquors in Halifax.
The jackpot, which now ranks as the eighth-largest in U.S. lottery history, has been growing for more than three months, reflecting the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million of winning the top prize. Since the last player won the jackpot Jan. 1, there have been 40 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers and hitting it rich.
Lottery officials note that thousands of people have won smaller prizes, which range from $2 to $2 million.
The $1.23 billion prize is for a sole winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity with 30 annual payments. Winners almost always prefer the cash option, which for the next drawing Saturday night would be an estimated $595.1 million.
Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
