The only top prize that was ever bigger was the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier advertised estimate of $1.73 billion for Wednesday night’s drawing.
That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 20. The jackpot is the world’s second-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 36 consecutive drawings. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion.
