Never has the sixth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history seemed so small.
Wednesday night’s $620 million Powerball jackpot looks sort of puny given all the attention lavished on the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in South Carolina on Tuesday.
Only five lottery jackpots have been larger , but with two giant prizes in one week, it’s hard not to compare.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million. Despite the tough odds, they’re actually a little better than the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot.
No one has won the Powerball jackpot since Aug. 11, when a man from Staten Island, New York, won $245.6 million.
Powerball’s current estimated $620 million prize refers to the annuity option paid over 29 years. Most winners take the cash option, which would be $354.3 million.
