DES MOINES, IA (AP) -- Powerball players in Missouri and Texas have won the estimated $1.8 billion jackpot, overcoming astronomical odds to end the lottery game’s three-month drought without a big winner.
The winning numbers were 11, 23, 44, 61, and 62, with the Powerball number being 17.
The prize, which was the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history, followed 41 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner happened May 31.
Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins.