While there are many factors that determine the advertised Grand Prize estimate in the Powerball® game; two important ones are games sales and the annuity factor.

A number of variables can affect game sales, such as seasonality or a big Mega Millions jackpot. Traditionally, game sales are stronger for a Saturday drawing versus a Wednesday drawing.

The annuity factor, or the cost to fund an annuity prize, is another key component. The annuity factor is made up of interest rates for securities purchased to fund prize payments. The higher the interest rates, the higher the advertised Grand Prize. You might not realize that an economic reality like interest rates impact even the Powerball jackpot, but they do!

Most players think the odds of matching the Powerball to win a prize are 1 in 26, since the Powerball is drawn from a field of numbers from 1 to 26.

But consider this…

The odds of matching the Powerball ALONE are harder than 1 in 26, because there is also the chance you could match one or more white balls, in addition to the Powerball, to win another prize.

Powerball numbers are drawn from two sets of numbers, so the odds of winning a prize are calculated by combining the odds for both sets of numbers for all prize levels. The odds for matching just the Powerball are calculated by combining the odds of selecting the Powerball and the odds of not selecting any of the five numbers from the first set of numbers drawn.

Prizes must be claimed in the jurisdiction where the winning ticket was purchased. Players can generally claim a prize up to $600 at any licensed lottery retailer in the jurisdiction where they bought the ticket. Prizes over $600 can be claimed at some lottery offices, depending on the amount, and also at lottery headquarters. Please contact your lottery with any further questions.

Ticket expiration dates typically vary from 90 days to one year depending on the selling jurisdiction. The expiration date is often listed on the back of your ticket. If the expiration date is not listed, check with your lottery.

Unclaimed prizes are kept by the lottery jurisdiction. If a Grand Prize goes unclaimed, the money must be returned to all lotteries in proportion to their sales for the draw run. The lotteries then distribute the money, based on their own jurisdiction's laws, to other lottery games or to their jurisdiction's general fund, or otherwise as required by law.

Every jurisdiction has its own law on winners remaining anonymous. Some jurisdictions are required by law to provide the winner's name, city of residence, game won and prize amount to any third party that requests the information. Some jurisdictions allow winners to claim a prize as a trust or other legal entity thus allowing some anonymity from public disclosure of their information. Check with your lottery to see if taking a photo of the winner is required and what its rules are on prize claims. Regardless of how a prize is claimed, the person who purchased the winning ticket must be known to the lottery so officials can confirm you are eligible to play and to comply with other legal requirements.

A Powerball jackpot winner may choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump-sum payment (cash option). For the annuity, the annual payments increase by 5%. The cash value option, in general, is the amount of money required to be in the jackpot prize pool, on the day of the drawing, to fund the estimated jackpot annuity prize. The advertised jackpot annuity and cash value are estimates until ticket sales are final, and for the annuity, until the Multi-State Lottery Association takes bids on the purchase of securities. 

Federal and jurisdictional income taxes apply to both jackpot prize options.

Check with your lottery for its rules on how to claim a jackpot prize and the correct procedure for selecting the annuity or cash value option.
 

If a jackpot winner dies before receiving all annual installments, the balance of the prize will be paid to the winner's estate. Upon receipt of a court order, annual prize payments will continue to be paid to the winner's heirs. Other provisions may also apply depending on the laws of the lottery paying the prize.

A United States $100 bill is .0043 inches thick.

Ten thousand $100 bills equals $1 million (10,000 x $100 = $1,000,000).

Therefore, a $1 million stack of $100 bills is 43 inches tall (10,000 x .0043 inches = 43 inches).

43 inches = 3.5833 feet

A stack of one hundred dollar bills equaling $40,000,000 is 143.33 feet tall (40 x 3.5833 feet = 143.33 feet).