When no ticket matched the six chosen numbers during the Powerball drawing on Saturday, the jackpot moved into the top five.

The majority of Americans are given the day off today, which is Labor Day.  Tonight, someone might win enough money to never have to go back to their 9 to 5 job.

There hasn't been a single play that matches the five white balls and the red Powerball in 39 drawings.  There is a 1 in 292.2 million chance of doing so.

A $1.326 billion reward was won in Oregon on April 6, 2024, ending the Powerball record of 42 games without a jackpot struck.

The predicted $1.1 billion jackpot for tonight is the fifth-largest payout in the history of the game.  The cash option is valued at $498.4 million by lottery authorities.  Both sums are before possible state and federal taxes.

In addition to Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Powerball is played in 45 states.  A typical Powerball ticket is still under $2, in contrast to Mega Millions, which increased its basic play price from $2 to $5 earlier this year.

Sales on Labor Day 

Tickets for Powerball's September 1 drawing are probably going to go up.  Sales usually increase when jackpots reach such enormous heights because players who don't usually play are drawn in by the potentially life-altering sums.

As families and friends get together over the grill to discuss current events, the holiday weekend should only encourage more play.  Many will talk about Powerball.

"America has waited all year for the chance to play for a billion-dollar jackpot, and what better time than Labor Day for a $1.1 billion Powerball drawing,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and the CEO of the Iowa Lottery. “With just one $2 ticket, you could win it all — all while helping to support good causes close to home.”

Naturally, it is much more likely that your $2 wager won't be the winner.  It is much more likely that you will be struck by lightning, not just once but twice.  Additionally, you have a higher chance of winning an Oscar, winning an Olympic medal, becoming president of the United States, bowling a perfect 300 game, and dying in an aircraft accident.

You're saying that there's a chance?

Someone must win Powerball despite the dismal chances, right?  So how can you increase your chances?

Purchasing more tickets does somewhat increase your odds of winning, according to Tim Chartier, an applied mathematician at Davidson College who specializes in computer science, provided you play different numbers on each.

"If you buy five tickets with different numbers, you are five times more likely to win than if you buy just one. But, keep in mind, this is like saying you need to flip heads 28 straight times. Try it. In fact, try it five times. Try it 100 times. You are amazingly unlikely to get it any single time. So, the odds are more likely but still very unlikely,” Chartier said in a 2023 article titled, “Magic Numbers: How to Tilt the Odds of Winning the Lottery in Your Favor.”

Chartier offers a free online tool for people to try their luck.