Players flock to Powerball’s $1.4 billion

There’s no short supply of big jackpots going into the weekend, with the Powerball® estimated jackpot of $1.4 billion, with an estimated cash value of $614 million, leading the field.

Saturday night’s Powerball jackpot is the third largest jackpot in the game’s history and the fifth largest in U.S. lottery history. The jackpot has continued to roll after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Wednesday evening.

Saturday’s drawing will be the 34th drawing in the jackpot run. The Powerball jackpot was previously won in California on July 19 by a ticket worth $1.08 billion.

If a player wins the Powerball jackpot Saturday night, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $1.4 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $614 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments increasing by 5 percent each year.