One jealousy-inducing Powerball ticket, sold in Fairfield County, Conn., had all six numbers right for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, landing its owner or owners a tidy jackpot of more than a quarter of a billion dollars. The winning ticket-holder has not yet come forward. The $254 million prize is a state record but falls many millions shy of the top all-time haul. So as millions of others across the country ponder what they’d do with the money, here’s a look at the other numbers behind the Powerball win:
12-14-34-39-46, Powerball 36
The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night
$254.2 million
Size of the jackpot if paid out in an annuity over 29 years
$151,664,457.51
Size of the jackpot if paid out as a lump sum
$103,581,274
Estimated value of the prize after taxes, according to the Connecticut Lottery
$37,914,082
Estimated federal income tax bill on the cash payout, according to the Connecticut Lottery
Approximately $63.5 million
Estimated total federal income taxes due on the annuitized $254 million jackpot
1 in 195,249,054
Odds of winning the Powerball grand prize, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the game
2,277,427
Total number of winners in Wednesday night’s drawing, including 1.29 million who won $3 by matching only the Powerball number
$390 million
Record U.S. lottery jackpot, which was split by two Mega Millions winners after a March 2007 drawing. The winners opted for a cash payout and split $233 million.
$380 million
Size of the Mega Millions jackpot from January 2011, which was also split among two winning ticketholders. The total cash payout of $240 million is the largest ever in the U.S.
44
U.S. jurisdictions where Powerball is available, including Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands
More than 240,000
Locations in North America that sell lottery tickets
$58 billion
Total U.S. lottery sales in fiscal 2010, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries
50 percent
Approximate amount of each dollar wagered that goes into the prize pool
35 percent
Approximate amount of each dollar wagered that goes to various government services, determined by member states
15 percent
Approximate amount of each dollar wagered that goes to pay retailers and cover lottery operating costs
