Lucky Powerball player could win $747 MILLION as jackpot goes up for grabs TONIGHT game abysmal odds

A $747 million Powerball jackpot will be up for grabs Monday night for players willing to risk $2 against the long, long odds of winning the big prize.

No one has won the jackpot since November 19, 2022, allowing the prize to grow larger with each of the game's three weekly drawings. It now stands as the ninth-largest in U.S. history.

The game's abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes that draw more players. 

That strategy certainly has worked recently, as someone won a $1.35 billion Mega Millions prize in January and a California player hit a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot last November. 

Powerball jackpot rose to $747 million after Saturday night's draw still had no jackpot winner

Out of the 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, there are only seven where winners can choose to stay anonymous if they strike it lucky

No one has claimed either of those prizes.

The $747 million jackpot is for winners who opt for an annuity, paid over 29 years.

 Higher interest rates have allowed those annuity payments to increased compared with earlier jackpots, when rates were lower.

Most winners prefer cash, which for Monday night's drawing would be $403.1 million.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

With a $747million prize on the line, Monday's Powerball jackpot could make someone very rich indeed

The jackpots grow so large because the tall odds offer just a minuscule chance of matching all six numbers and winning the top prize

While it appears that players have been gifted repeated chances to win the big prize draws are a result of math and more difficult odds. 

In the fall of 2017, lottery officials approved changes to Mega Millions that significantly lengthened the odds from one in 258.9 million to one in 302.6 million.

Similar changes were made to Powerball in October 2015, worsening the odds from one in 175.2 million to one in 292.2 million.

The idea was that by making jackpots less common, ticket revenue could build up week after week, creating giant prizes that would attract the attention of players and pull more in.

In August 2021, Powerball also added a third weekly drawing, which enabled the jackpot to roll over and grow even more quickly as people had more chances to play and lose.

Mega Millions, however, has stuck with the two weekly drawings. The move saw nine of the top 10 largest lottery prizes won since 2017.