Jackpot Jump: Prize jumps to $1.5B after no ticket matches all numbers

NEWTON, N.C. — No one hit the Powerball jackpot Wednesday night and now, lottery officials say the prize total has grown.

Saturday night’s drawing will be for an estimated $1.5 billion -- a near-record total. It’s a number just beneath the record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot, which was won in January 2016.

So if you win, then what? Financial advisor David Neeley with JD Financial Group said if you’re over 60 years old, take the lump sum. It could add up to more than a $500 million cash payout after taxes.

But if you’re younger, you may want to consider not taking the lump sum because of inflation, taxes and higher interest rates. Neeley said by doing that, you’d get more -- possibly $800 million total by taking payments over your lifetime.

Winning Powerball numbers drawn for $1.2B jackpot

The winning numbers for Wednesday’s drawing were 2, 11, 22, 35, 60 and the red Powerball was 23, according to lottery officials.

While everyone buys the same ticket, not everyone plays the same way. Some people take the easy route by letting the computer choose while others use a strategy to playing the lottery.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty explored superstitions people have about the lottery.

Some people will only buy their lottery ticket from a specific store while others, including Nate Jenkins, who uses special dates, such as a loved one’s birthday to help them pick numbers.

“Well it’s my wife’s birthday, my children’s birthday and my birthday. You think that’s it? That’s it,” said Jenkins.

The odds of winning again are not very favorable, about one in 292 million. There were ten $1 million winners on Monday night’s drawing, but none of them were from the Carolinas.

In the video below, learn more about how people choose numbers to play the lottery.

How some pick their lottery numbers ahead of the $1.2B Powerball drawing

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