$1 Billion 'Power Ball' lottery draw tonight in US

Noman Sabit: Today, Monday (October 31), the draw for the $1 billion 'Power Ball' lottery, the second largest prize in US history, is taking place. People are waiting in long lines to buy lottery tickets at grocery and gas station shops in different states. The Powerball lottery draw will be telecast live on several TV channels on Monday at 11:59 PM local time. Every Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, the Powerball lottery draws are held simultaneously across all 50 US states. One lucky lotto player could be in for a very big treat on Halloween night as the Powerball jackpot grows to an estimated $1 billion, with the next drawing on Monday. The jackpot is set to reach the billion-dollar mark after Saturday’s drawing yielded no one who could match all five numbers and the Powerball to claim the nearly $825 million prize. It’s only the second time in Powerball’s 30-year history that the jackpot has hit $1 billion, according to the lottery. Saturday’s winning numbers were: 19, 31, 40, 46, 57, with a Powerball of 23. Seven tickets matched five numbers, but not the Powerball, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. Six tickets won a $1 million prize, and one ticket sold in Florida won $2 million by including the Power Play feature. If someone wins Monday’s jackpot, it will be the second largest jackpot in Powerball history, according to a release from the lottery. The largest Powerball jackpot was $1.586 billion, which was won on January 13, 2016. “The Powerball jackpot was last hit on August 3, when a ticket in Pennsylvania matched all five white balls and the red Powerball to win a $206.9 million jackpot,” Powerball said in a statement. “Since then, there have been 37 drawings in a row with no grand prize winner. The Monday night drawing will be the 38th draw in the jackpot run.” BP/SM