Sunblock, charcoal ... and Powerball? Holiday weekend lottery drawing worth $1 billion

DETROIT — This could buy a lot of Labor Day weekend sunblock: Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is estimated at $1 billion, the sixth-largest prize in the game’s history.

Powerball, which costs $2 per ticket, is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The jackpot has been growing each week because no one has matched all six numbers since May 31.

As ticket sales climbed this week, game officials raised the estimated Saturday night jackpot to $1 billion from $950 million, before taxes. Payments would be spread over 30 years, or a winner can choose an immediate lump sum of $453 million, again before taxes.

“We’re bringing extra excitement to Labor Day weekend,” said Matt Strawn, head of the Iowa Lottery and chair of Powerball.

The odds of matching all six numbers, of course, are daunting: 1 in 292.2 million. By comparison, the odds of getting a rare shark bite during a last summer dip in the ocean are much lower, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Angela Schwartz, who sells tickets at City Market in downtown Detroit, said the message Friday was consistent: “Give me a lucky Powerball.”

“I don’t know if that’s enough for me,” she said with a laugh, referring to the lump-sum payout a winner could get. “It could pay a few bills.”

At a Fuel City in Dallas, Duran Hargest let the lottery machine spit out four tickets with random numbers.

“It could be a blessing,” he said of winning the jackpot. “It could also be a curse, depending on how you use it. I just wanted to make sure if I get it, you know, take care of my family and then probably help others that probably need it, too.”

Powerball and Mega Millions are lottery games with potentially huge jackpots because they are played in multiple states. The top Powerball jackpot was $2.04 billion on Nov. 7, 2022. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.6 billion on Aug. 8, 2023.