Single Maryland ticket wins estimated $731.1m Powerball jackpot

A single Powerball ticket sold in Maryland is the winner of an estimated $731.1m jackpot, the first to get the top prize in months.

Thanks to math and bad luck, lottery players had another shot at a giant jackpot Wednesday night that earlier had been estimated at $730m, but grew even further based on final ticket sales. Following the win, the new jackpot drops to an estimated $20m for the next drawing Saturday.

The winning ticket for Wednesday’s jackpot was sold in Allegany county, located in north-western Maryland, but additional details weren’t immediately available, the Maryland Lottery said in a statement. Just who gets these riches may never be known: in Maryland, winners have the right to remain anonymous.

The Powerball jackpot was the fifth-largest US lottery jackpot ever, and it came only a day after nobody won the even-larger Mega Millions prize, which now stands at $970m.

It was the first time both lottery jackpots topped $700m. The biggest prize was a $1.58bn Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.

No one had won either of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing the prizes to grow steadily for months. Such a long stretch without a winner is rare but also reflects the incredibly small odds of winning – one in 292.2m for Powerball and one in 302.5m for Mega Millions.

The prizes listed are for winners who choose an annuity option, paid over 30 years. Most winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $716.3m and $546.8m for Wednesday’s Powerball. After the Powerball win, the new jackpot has a $15m cash value.

Those prizes also would be subject to federal taxes, and most states would take a cut as well.

Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states as well as Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands. Powerball also is offered in Puerto Rico.