Powerball: Lotto fever grips US for $1.6bn world record prize

After much than 3 months without a victor successful the premier lottery crippled successful the US, this weekend's gully has grown to the biggest the satellite has ever seen.

The Powerball jackpot advertised for Saturday present stands astatine an estimated pre-tax prize of $1.6bn ($1.4bn).

That tops the erstwhile grounds of $1.59bn, divided betwixt 3 Powerball players successful 2016.

The likelihood of winning the jackpot are 1 successful 292 million, according to Powerball.

The game, which began successful 1992, is played successful 45 of the 50 US states, the superior metropolis of Washington, and successful the US territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

A summons indispensable lucifer each six numbers drawn to people the jackpot - and determination has been nary victor successful 39 consecutive drawings.

Whoever holds the aureate summons has the enactment of receiving the afloat magnitude successful an annuity paid implicit 3 decades.

But astir each winners alternatively opt for the upfront currency option, wherever they tin person a smaller magnitude arsenic a lump sum.

The currency prize for Saturday night's gully is presently estimated astatine $782.4m (£688m).

That's a large measurement up from the past palmy jackpot successful aboriginal August, erstwhile a summons purchaser successful Pennsylvania had to marque bash with a comparatively humble $206.9m.

History's biggest ever lottery gully to day saw 3 Powerball summons holders successful 3 antithetic US states stock the spoils successful 2016.

The winners - John and Lisa Robinson from Tennessee; Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Florida; and Marvin and Mae Acosta from California - opted for lump-sum payments of astir $327.8m.

The Robinsons, who bought the aureate summons and 3 much tickets astatine a section market store, told NBC News' Today amusement that they had opted for currency due to the fact that "we're not guaranteed tomorrow".

Ms Smith and Mr Kaltschmidt told NBC they would beryllium retiring early, and spending the wealth connected getting massages and replacing their aging truck.