Winning numbers drawn for $700-million Powerball lottery jackpot

REUTERS: Winning numbers were drawn on Wednesday night for a U.S. Powerball jackpot of an estimated $700 million, one of the largest in the lottery's history.

The numbers drawn were 6, 7, 16, 23, 26. The Powerball is 4. The winner will get annual payments over 29 years, totaling at least $700 million, or $443.3 million in a lump sum payment, before taxes.

The odds against wining are astronomical, but millions of Americans will be hoping for some life-altering luck on Wednesday night when winning numbers are drawn for the second-highest jackpot in the history of the Powerball lottery.

A winning ticket could bring the holder an estimated $700 million windfall, a prize topped only by a January 2016 $1.56 billion Powerball jackpot, the world's largest lottery reward ever.

This past weekend, there were no winning tickets for a prize that was then $535 million, even though 113.6 million Powerball chances were sold.

Anna Domoto, spokeswoman for the Multi-State Lottery Association, said that even more tickets are expected to be sold in the four-day period leading up to Wednesday night's drawing.

The odds of a ticket having all six winning numbers do not change no matter how big the jackpot is. They are 292.2 million-to-1, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.

Powerball tickets are sold in 44 U.S. states, and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

No one has won the Powerball's top prize in the twice-a-week drawings since June 10, when a California man won a jackpot valued at $447.8 million.