RALEIGH – If a North Carolinian won tonight’s Powerball jackpot, they would get the choice of an annuity of $1.4 billion or more than $600 million in cash.

The $1.4 billion jackpot ranks as the fourth highest ever in the Powerball game and the sixth largest in U.S. lottery history.

If a winner tonight chose the annuity, they would get an initial payment of $21 million and then payments – increasing annually - for the next 29 years until the full $1.4 billion jackpot had been collected. If they chose the lump sum, they would take home $634 million in cash.

“What a great choice that would be for a lucky North Carolina winner,” said Terri Rose, chief brand officer of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We’ve seen some big Powerball wins lately. We’re crossing our fingers that someone in our state buys the lucky ticket for tonight’s $1.4 billion jackpot. Good luck, North Carolina.

Nine ways to win exist in each drawing so Powerball players should check their numbers closely after each drawing. Recent big wins in North Carolina include:
• Someone from Clayton won a $2 million prize in Monday’s Labor Day drawing.
• A Union County man won $150,000 prize in Saturday’s drawing.
• A Harnett County man won a $150,000 prize in the Monday, Aug. 25 drawing.

Tonight’s drawing will be the 41st since the Powerball jackpot was previously won in California on May 31. Nationally, the summer Powerball jackpot streak has created 86 winning tickets worth $1 million or more, and 899 winning tickets worth $50,000 or more.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Tickets sold in North Carolina during those drawings raise money for education programs. An estimated $23 million has been raised so far in this current Powerball jackpot run. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in North Carolina, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.