Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing ended the lottery game's three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher, making it the second-largest in U.S. history.

Just in time for Christmas, one lucky Powerball player could win $1.7 billion before taxes in tonight's lottery drawing.

A winning ticket in Wednesday night's Powerball drawing would have the option of accepting an estimated lump sum cash payment ...