The Powerball jackpot continues its march toward history as it now stands at $1.72 billion for tonight’s drawing.

A winner could claim the jackpot as a $1.72 billion annuity or $756.6 million in cash. Wednesday’s jackpot represents the second largest in in U.S. history. Here are the top five jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022, won by a single ticket in California.
2. $1.72 billion, Powerball, the current jackpot
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won by a single ticket from Florida.
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, shared by three winning tickets from California, Florida, Tennessee
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won by a single ticket from South Carolina

“When you see these billion-dollar jackpots, you know it is called Powerball for a reason,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “It’s anybody’s guess as to how high this jackpot will go, but we would love to see the winner be from North Carolina.”

In Monday’s drawing, four different tickets matched four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. The winning tickets came from:

• Kp Food Mart on U.S. 74 Business in Bostic
• Gas Center on North College Road in Wilmington
• Publix on Benfield Road in Charlotte
• Family Fare on South Main Street in Graham

The current Powerball run has also been a huge win for education, raising an estimated $28 million for education programs in the state so far.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.8 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.