The verdict will fall this Monday at 11:30 p.m. local time, or Tuesday around 5:30 a.m. in France.
The incredible jackpot of 1.9 billion dollars, put into play by the famous American “Powerball” lottery, will it be won by one or more lucky winners?
While waiting to find out, back in figures on this gambling of all records, which panics across the Atlantic.
$1.9 billion gain
Participants are playing on Monday to try to win the $ 1.9 billion at stake, the largest sum in the history of lotteries.
This famous American game dating from 1988, equivalent to our EuroMillions, also held the previous record dating from 2016. That year, three people found the winning combination and shared a jackpot of 1.6 billion, the first jackpot to surpass $1 billion.
The three winners, based in California, Florida and Tennessee had received approximately $528.8 million each.
40 draws without a winner
Bi-weekly lottery, the "Powerball" will also equal the record, obtained last year, for the number of draws in a row without a winner.
In 40 draws, no participant guessed the six winning numbers (the main five, between 1 and 69, and the "Powerball" number, between 1 and 26).
In October 2021, an American won $699 million after the 41st draw.
One in 292 million chance
Participants have a one in 292 million chance of entering the winning combination on their tickets.
For comparison, the probability of being struck by lightning is one in a million, according to US health authorities.
A statistic that did not discourage Americans, who rushed to gas stations and tobacconists in the 45 states authorizing gambling (only Alabama, Nevada, Utah, Alaska and Hawaii do not allow the sale of lottery tickets).
In Idaho's Franklin and Oneida counties, for example, ticket sales were up 597% last week compared to a month ago, when the jackpot was still "only" open. 354 million dollars, reveals the New York Times.
Read also$1.9 billion Powerball lottery: can such a jackpot drive you crazy?
A payment spread over 30 years
The winner(s) will be able to choose to receive their payment in one go or in several transfers spread over three decades.
If they choose the first option, they will receive “only” 60% of the prize pool, or 782.4 million, according to the lottery organization.
In addition to the number of winning tickets, the amount won depends on the taxation in force in the state where the ticket was purchased.
For example, it is 24% of the amount for US citizens and 30% for foreigners in Washington State.
If they choose payment in instalments, the winners will receive a first payment of 1.9 million followed by other annual transfers, each time 5% higher than the previous one.
The record to beat: 1.6 billion dollars
If there is only one winner, that winner will smash the record for most single-person money in Powerball history, held by Mavis Wanczyk, a 53-year-old mother who had won $758.7 million in 2017. But he will also surpass the all-time winning record for a single winner, held by competitor "Mega Millions", the other major American lottery launched in 1996. In 2018, an anonymous resident of South Carolina had won the sum of 1.6 billion dollars excluding tax put into play by this lottery, not manifesting itself until five months after winning.
About 8 times more than the European record
Even if they are several to have found the right numbers, the winners of the "Powerball" will undoubtedly win more money than the champion of the European equivalent.
This Frenchwoman had won "only" 220 million euros in October 2021 at the EuroMillions.
The biggest jackpot in the history of Mega Sena, the Brazilian lottery, stands at 378 million reals (about 74.7 million) and was won last year by two people, according to the New York Times.
As for the biggest jackpot in the history of South Africa, it amounts to 232 million rand (about 13 million euros) and was won in 2019 by a single winner.