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Powerball Lottery Jackpot Swells to $1.2 Billion

There have been nearly 40 drawings since August without a winner and the potential payout is getting bigger.

Lottery balls in San Lorenzo, California. 

Lottery balls in San Lorenzo, California. 

Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Powerball jackpot has ballooned to a whopping $1.2 billion dollars for Wednesday night’s drawing – one of the highest prizes in the lottery’s history, second only to a $1.59 billion total payout in 2016.

To take home the prize, players have to correctly select six numbers: five white balls from 1 to 69 and the red “power ball” from 1 to 26. Those odds shake out to about 1 in 292 million – making players’ overnight billionaire dreams less likely than getting struck by lightning.