Powerball cracked: three-quarters of a billion dollars paid out

The Powerball lottery in the USA is known for its high winnings. But one player has recently succeeded in making the big throw. 786.4 million US dollars were cleared. This is the third largest jackpot in the history of America.

The lucky man succeeded in ticking all the numbers on his ticket. With that, he cheated the probability of one in 292 million. Or as the saying goes: Someone has to win the main prize. But let’s put the numbers in proportion. When we talk about 768 million US dollars, that’s currently about 682 million euros. So the figure may seem a little smaller. However, it is still a high three-digit million amount. To accomplish this feat in the Powerball Lotto, you need five right guys and the Powerball itself. In the following, we would like to list how the jackpot was won.

Luck at Powerball: How a man came to the jackpot

Who compares the Powerball with the German Lotto 6 out of 49, commits a small mistake. Although six correct numbers and the super number are needed here, there are “only” six correct numbers in the USA. These consist of the five balls of the usual draw and the Powerball itself. Sounds easier than in Germany? But it’s not. Because in America they draw 5 out of 69 balls, which increases the degree of difficulty enormously. And also the Powerball itself is drawn from a pool of 26 digits. This finally results in the chance of 1/292.201.338. In the Lotto 6 out of 49, however, the probability of winning the main prize is 1/139.838.160. A Powerball win is, therefore, more than twice as unlikely as in the German variant 6 out of 49.

This also explains why the maximum win is often so voluminous. In fact, the distribution of the 786.4 million US dollars is “only” the third highest profit in American lottery history. However, it is not only the lower probability of the Powerball that is a reason for the high amount. Because the more the jackpot inflates, the wilder the American inhabitants’ storm to the points of sale. For example, the CNN channel reported a run on the Powerball. As a result, the main prize continued to swell. In fact, there was one winner among them. As David Barden, representing the Powerball lottery company, put it: “This will be a very green spring for the first winner of the Powerball jackpot in 2019”.

Highest Jackpot: It goes back to 2016. It totaled 1.6 billion US dollars. But several players shared this jackpot. In 2018, a South Carolina player won the pot with $1.5 billion in the Mega Millions lottery.

The winning Powerball numbers and the winner’s options

Once a millionaire. Many players who hand in their tickets to a lottery on a weekly basis certainly have this wish. The lucky winner of the Powerball Jackpot is not yet known. What we do know, however, is that the winning ticket was purchased in Wisconsin State. In addition, the winner has managed to play all the numbers correctly. The numbers 16, 20, 37, 44 and 62 were used in the draw for five out of 69. The Powerball itself, which was drawn with the number 12, also matched. Thus, the requirements for the jackpot win are fulfilled. But in the United States, the main winners have a serious decision to make.

If the winner wants to cash out the entire amount, he will receive this amount in a time frame of 29 years. In this case, however, there are the full 768.4 million euros transferred. If the man wants the money immediately, his profit is reduced. In this case, he would still be 477 million dollars. We are still talking about a sum of EUR 425 million. It is not unusual for lottery winners to shipwreck again and goes bankrupt after a few too many years. This cannot happen so fast with the payout over 29 years. Conversely, an immediately paid out fortune could be invested and again profitably invested. How the lucky man decides is not yet known.