The money for the new jackpot is said to be $806 million before taxes, according to the official Powerball website. (Representative image)
New York:
The US Powerball lottery jackpot hit $1.3 billion (€1.19 billion) early on Sunday after organizers said there were no winners in the weekend draw.
The Powerball prize soared to $950 million on Saturday, fueling a lotto ticket buying frenzy across the United States.
The numbers were drawn and announced late Saturday at 10.59pm (0359 GMT Sunday) – but hours later lottery officials said there was no winner.
“There were NO JACKPOT WINNERS in tonight’s #Powerball. We are OFFICIALLY #InSearchofaBILLIONAIRE ($1.3 BILLION)!” the District of Columbia Lottery, where the US capital is located, wrote on Twitter around 07:00 GMT today.
Depending on the rules, the winner can choose to receive the full jackpot in annual installments over 29 years, or receive a lower one-time cash payment.
The money for the new jackpot is said to be $806 million before taxes, according to the official Powerball website.
The Powerball jackpot draws began on November 7, and despite a new set of numbers being announced every Wednesday and Saturday since, no winner has been declared.
Americans who dream of life-changing riches have been flocking for days to buy lottery tickets and a chance to win a tsunami of life-changing wealth.
In the Powerball lottery, five white balls are drawn from a drum containing 69 balls. A red is fired from a drum with 26 bullets.
The jackpot prize requires a ticket holder to match all numbers of the six selected balls.
The current prize breaks the previous record for a US lottery jackpot of $656 million won by three winning tickets in North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas in March 2012.
The next draw is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, organizers said.
