Powerball prize climbs to $1.3B ahead of next drawing

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery players are getting another shot at a Powerball jackpot that has grown to an estimated $1.3 billion after more than three months without a winner. There have been 40 consecutive drawings since the last time someone won Powerball’s top prize on New Year’s Day. The jackpot ranks as the eighth largest in U.S. lottery history and has grown so large because the long odds of 1 in 292.2 million make winning so difficult. The $1.3 billion prize is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity. Winners almost always choose a cash payout, which for Saturday night’s drawing would be an estimated $608.9 million.