Someone Could Unwrap a $1.7 Billion Gift This Christmas Eve

Talk about a holiday miracle in the making—the Powerball jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.7 billion for Wednesday night's drawing, making it the fourth-largest in Powerball history and one of the biggest prizes ever in the U.S. lottery.

No one matched all six numbers in Monday's drawing (3, 18, 36, 41, 54, and Powerball 7), which means the jackpot keeps climbing. The cash option sits at a cool $781 million.

When to play: Purchase tickets before Wednesday night's drawing for your shot at a Christmas Eve windfall. Powerball jackpots have actually been won on Christmas Eve once before—and four times on Christmas Day.

Even without a grand prize winner Monday, plenty of players are celebrating. Nine tickets across eight states matched all five white balls, each taking home $1 million.