Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $803.9 Million
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The Powerball jackpot has grown to $803.9 million ahead of the November 2 drawing. The prize has been climbing for weeks because no one has matched all the winning numbers.
Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States. Players buy a ticket and choose numbers, hoping they match the numbers picked during the official drawing.
When nobody wins the top prize, the jackpot rolls over and grows larger for the next drawing. This is why the amount has reached such a high level.
A separate report noted that the jackpot had earlier been reported at $835 million, showing how quickly these figures can shift as more tickets are sold.
If someone wins, they must decide how to receive the money. Winners can choose a lump sum, a smaller amount paid immediately, or an annuity, which spreads payments over many years.
Not every big win is a jackpot win. In Cabarrus County, one ticket recently won $2 million in the Halloween drawing, a much smaller but still life-changing prize.
Lottery odds for winning the full jackpot are very low, but many people still buy tickets when the prize becomes this large. Smaller prizes, like the $2 million win, are far more common.
Vocabulary10 words
- Powerball
- a popular US lottery game with very big prizes
- lottery
- a game where numbers decide who wins money
- ticket
- paper proof that you entered the game
- jackpot
- the largest prize in a lottery
- drawing
- the event where winning numbers are chosen
- lump sum
- all the money paid at once
- annuity
- money paid in parts over many years
- odds
- the chance something will happen
- rolls over
- carries forward to the next time
- prize
- money given to a winner
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Quiz
Answer key
1. $803.9 million 2. Because no one matches all the numbers 3. $2 million
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Powerball jackpot has grown to $803.9 million ahead of the _____ drawing. The prize has been climbing for weeks because no one has matched all the _____ numbers.
Powerball is one of the most popular lottery games in the United States. Players buy a ticket and choose numbers, hoping they match the numbers picked during the official _____.
When nobody wins the top prize, the jackpot _____ and grows larger for the next drawing.
A separate report noted that the jackpot had earlier been reported at $_____ million, showing how quickly these figures can shift.
If someone wins, they must decide how to receive the money. Winners can choose a _____, a smaller amount paid immediately, or an _____, which spreads payments over many years.
In Cabarrus County, one ticket recently won $_____ million in the Halloween drawing.
Discussion questions
- Would you rather receive lottery winnings as a lump sum or as an annuity? Why?
- Why do you think jackpots like Powerball attract so much public attention?
- Do you think lotteries are a good way to spend money? Why or why not?
- How do you think winning a smaller prize, like $2 million, compares to winning the full jackpot?
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