The Federal Reserve quietly shapes the Powerball's $1.7B jackpot
1. Higher interest rates boost Powerball jackpot to $1.79 billion. 2. The increased jackpot benefits from Fed-controlled annuity calculations. 3. Cash payout of $770 million is significantly lower than the annuity value. 4. Historical context shows earlier rate cuts reduced annuity attractiveness. 5. Current rates make annuity 121% larger than cash payout options.