Powerball: Lotto fever grips US for $1.6bn world record prize

After more than three months without a winner in the premier lottery game in the US, this weekend's draw has grown to the biggest the world has ever seen.

The Powerball jackpot advertised for Saturday now stands at an estimated pre-tax prize of $1.6bn ($1.4bn).

That tops the previous record of $1.59bn, split between three Powerball players in 2016.

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292 million, according to Powerball.

The game, which began in 1992, is played in 45 of the 50 US states, the capital city of Washington, and in the US territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

A ticket must match all six numbers drawn to score the jackpot - and there has been no winner in 39 consecutive drawings.

Whoever holds the golden ticket has the option of receiving the full amount in an annuity paid over three decades.

But almost all winners instead opt for the upfront cash option, where they can receive a smaller amount as a lump sum.

The cash prize for Saturday night's draw is currently estimated at $782.4m (£688m).

That's a big step up from the last successful jackpot in early August, when a ticket buyer in Pennsylvania had to make do with a relatively modest $206.9m.

History's biggest ever lottery draw to date saw three Powerball ticket holders in three different US states share the spoils in 2016.

The winners - John and Lisa Robinson from Tennessee; Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Florida; and Marvin and Mae Acosta from California - opted for lump-sum payments of roughly $327.8m.

The Robinsons, who bought the golden ticket and three more tickets at a local grocery store, told NBC News' Today show that they had opted for cash because "we're not guaranteed tomorrow".

Ms Smith and Mr Kaltschmidt told NBC they would be retiring early, and spending the money on getting massages and replacing their aging truck.