Powerball: Is there a limit to the jackpot?

(NEXSTAR) – No one has managed to match all of the winning Powerball numbers since August 3, and the jackpot has only swelled over the last three months.

The grand prize for the next drawing — currently estimated at $1.6 billion — is now officially the largest jackpot in Powerball history. It’s also the largest single jackpot in the history of the lottery, surpassing a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot awarded in 2016 and a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot awarded in 2018.

It’s becoming likelier and likelier that someone (or a couple of someones) will end up winning the top prize within the coming drawings, at least if Powerball players continue last week’s trend of collectively purchasing a greater percentage of all possible number combinations.

But unless every possible combination is printed before one of the upcoming drawings, there’s always a chance that no one could win — and the jackpot could grow even higher.

“There is no cap on the Powerball jackpot amount,” said a communications representative for the Multi-State Lottery Commission, which facilitates on behalf of participating state lotteries. “The current jackpot will roll until someone or a group wins it,” the representative told Nexstar.

That’s not to say there haven’t been plenty of million-dollar winners over the last three months. Since August 3, “nearly 100 players” have matched the five white balls (but missed the Powerball), earning themselves a $1 million payday — or a $2 million payday, if they elected to play the multiplier, according to a Powerball press release issued Friday.

Still, the jackpot has only continued to grow in the absence of a grand-prize winner, making Saturday’s drawing one of the most buzzed-about in years.

“There’s a lot of anticipation and excitement leading up to Saturday’s drawing,” noted Drew Svitko, the Powerball Product Group Chair and the executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, in the release. “We would like to remind players that it only takes one ticket to win. Please, play responsibly.”