Powerball jackpot rises to record $1.9 billion for Monday's drawing

There were no Powerball jackpot winners Saturday, meaning Monday's drawing could net someone a record $1.9 billion, the highest prize ever offered by the game.

The winning numbers Saturday were 28, 45, 53, 56 and 69 with the Powerball of 20. With no winners, Powerball tied its record for most drawings without a jackpot winner (40), and an estimated lump-sum offering of $782.4 million would have broken the record for the largest national lottery jackpot in the Guinness World Records.

It's the second time in 2022 that a lottery jackpot has reached over a billion dollars; a Mega Millions jackpot of $1.337 billion in July was won in Illinois. And in 2016, the previous world-record jackpot came in at $1.586 billion and was shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee.

The third-highest Powerball ticket of all time was bought in 2019 in Wisconsin, from a Speedway in New Berlin.

The odds of winning Monday are 1 in 292.2 million.

How to play Powerball in Wisconsin

Here's how to enter the next Powerball drawing, according to powerball.com and wilottery.com, especially for those of you how only play when there's a huge jackpot.

First, choose five different numbers from 1 to 69, then a Powerball number from 1 to 26.

Next, choose a retailer. Typically you can buy lottery tickets at gas stations and grocery stores, though you can find a full list of stores at wilottery.com.

At the store, you can either have your numbers chosen randomly or enter your numbers onto a play slip. After that, choose the number of draws you want to enter. Each draw per play is $2, and adding a Power Play multiplier to each draw is $1 each.

When you turn in your play slip and payment to the cashier, you'll receive a ticket. This ticket is yours to keep and what you use to claim any money you win. Make sure you sign the ticket and keep it safe until the drawing.

After that, wait to see if your numbers win. Drawings take place at about 9:59 p.m. Central Time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. To enter that day's drawing, you need to buy your ticket by 9 p.m. that day.

If all six numbers match the drawing, you win the jackpot, which you can have paid out annually for 30 years or receive a lesser amount as a lump sum. Depending on which numbers match your drawing, you can win other prizes too, ranging from $4 (matching the PowerBall) to $2 million (matching five numbers but not the Powerball).

As for how to claim your prize, that depends on how much you win. Prizes of $599 and under can be claimed at a store that sells lottery tickets. Prizes between $600 and $200,000 can be claimed at Wisconsin Lottery offices in Madison and Milwaukee or by mail with a claim form; any prize larger than that must be claimed by going to the Madison office in person.

You have to be 18 years old to purchase a lottery ticket, and all prizes need to be claimed within 180 days of winning.

What if you beat the odds? Here's what financial experts say you should do next

If you win a large stack of cash, “don’t shout your win from the rooftop,” Rob Burnette, financial and investment adviser at Outlook Financial Center in Troy, Ohio, told USA TODAY. “If you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, keep it quiet. Get organized and make a plan."

Steve Azoury, a Michigan financial planner who has advised many lottery winners, also said to USA TODAY that plan should involve getting a tax attorney, a tax accountant, a financial adviser and a "fall guy" who prevents you from giving loans to others.

Since lottery winners cannot remain anonymous in Wisconsin, experts also advise taking steps to protect privacy, like locking down social media accounts.

Alex Kramer, a Milwaukee-based certified financial planner and Managing Director of BMO Harris Bank for eastern Wisconsin, said the rule of public disclosure in Wisconsin can make navigating a lottery win "particularly difficult."

In addition to hiring a team of financial and legal experts to help manage the windfall, he said lottery winners should give themselves plenty of time to make "the life-altering decisions you're going to be faced with."

"You can put together an investment program that effectively shields you from your own money" while you make those choices, Kramer said.

He also said he would advise lottery winners to consider making a donation to causes they care about. "Feeling like you're impacting other people's lives in a positive way — that can be a really positive offset to the feeling that everyone else's hands are in your pocket."

Finally, Kramer emphasized that winning the lottery doesn't make financial or relational problems go away, but instead acts as an "amplifier," saying, "If someone's doing well, (this kind of money) can take them to the next level." But if that's not the case, "the money can actually make problems worse, not better."

You can watch the drawing on the Powerball website at powerball.com/watch-drawing.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Powerball jackpot up to record $1.9 billion Monday