Never has the sixth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history seemed so small.
Wednesday night’s $620 million Powerball jackpot looks sort of puny given all the attention lavished on the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in South Carolina on Tuesday.
Only five lottery jackpots have been larger, but with two giant prizes in one week, it’s hard not to compare.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million. Despite the tough odds, they’re actually a little better than the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot.
No one has won the Powerball jackpot since Aug. 11, when a man from Staten Island, New York, won $245.6 million.
Powerball’s current estimated $620 million prize refers to the annuity option paid over 29 years. Most winners take the cash option, which would be $354.3 million.