For the Halloween night Powerball drawing, the jackpot stands at $1 billion, the second largest jackpot in the game’s history.

If a North Carolinian wins Monday’s jackpot, the winner would choose between a $1 billion annuity or $497.3 million in cash. This marks only the second time in the 30-year history of the Powerball game that the jackpot has hit $1 billion.

“Players dream of having the chance to try their luck at a billion-dollar jackpot,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “What a treat that would be for a North Carolinian to take home that life-changing prize on Halloween night. Good luck to all of our players.”

Monday’s jackpot is the fifth largest U.S. jackpot in history. The odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 24.9 and the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

While players continue to try for the jackpot, North Carolinians have been winning lots of other prizes as the current Powerball run has produced just under $8 million in prizes for players in our state.

In Saturday’s drawing, two lucky tickets matched four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. One ticket was purchased in Raleigh using Online Play on the lottery’s website and the other was purchased at Tonys Tobacco Shop on West Mount Drive in Nashville in Nash County.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.