Americans hope to cash in $1.5bn in Powerball lottery

The bad news is that no one won Wednesday night's huge $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot.The good news is that means the prize has grown even larger to $1.5 billion ahead of the next drawing Saturday night. That is the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.The numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 2, 11, 22, 35, 60 and the red Powerball 23.No one has won the top Powerball prize since Aug. 3, making for 39 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all six numbers.SEE MORE: What Should You Do If You Win The Mega Millions Jackpot?What's behind three months of lottery futility? It's simple math. The odds of winning the jackpot are an abysmal 1 in 292.2 million.It is because of those long odds that the grand prize has grown so large.The new $1.5 billion prize is actually for winners who opt for an annuity, paid out annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners choose cash, which for Saturday's drawing would be $745.9 million.Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Additional reporting by The Associated Press.