Powerball jackpot jumps to $400M after no winner emerges

(Reuters) -- Powerball's jackpot has surged to an estimated $400 million after the first drawing of the new year resulted in no winning ticket holders, the operator of the multi-state game said on Sunday.

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Powerball, played in 44 states, two U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., will hold its next drawing on Wednesday, giving players another crack at the grand prize.

The current jackpot is worth $244.8 million if a winner opts for an immediate cash payout instead of annual payments over 30 years, the Multi-State Lottery Association said on its website.

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While no ticket holder had all six numbers in Saturday evening's drawing (5,6,15,29,42 and the Powerball number 10), more than 2 million ticket holders won smaller prizes totaling nearly $21 million, the non-profit association said. Five players matched five of the six numbers.

The last Powerball jackpot winner was in November when a ticket holder from Tennessee claimed a $144.1 million prize.

But that sum paled compared with the biggest Powerball jackpots of 2015 - $564.1 million in February and $310.5 million in September.

The biggest U.S. lottery jackpot was $656 million, claimed in a Mega Millions lottery drawing in March 2012.

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