By Belad Al-karkhey in Sydney

Despite the odds forever stacked against them, up to half of Australian adults are gambling on winning a $100 million lottery prize.

The major jackpot in Powerball’s draw 1475 on Thursday is the third-biggest offered by any national lottery game in 2024 and the sixth-biggest jackpot in Australia’s lottery history.

The Lott’s Matt Hart says up to half of the Australian adult population is expected to enter the draw in the hopes of scoring Powerball’s biggest win of 2024.

Only five Australians know what it’s like to win a lottery prize of $100 million or more, but Mr Hart says there is always room for that to grow.

The jackpot comes after there were no division-one winners from the past four Powerball draws.

The odds of getting all seven numbers and the Powerball correct is one in 134,490,400, according to Gambler’s Help and The Lott.

Despite this, Mr Hart said the prospect of winning a “life-changing jackpot is sure to get Aussies dreaming big”.

“If just one person takes home the entire $100 million prize… they’ll not only receive a substantial boost to their bank account but also share the crown of Australia’s third biggest lottery winner ever,” he said.

For eager players across the country, a look down memory lane might make for a bit of luck as certain numbers appear more often in winning selections.

While the Powerball is a game of chance, and every number is equally likely to be drawn, The Lott data shows some are pulled out more often than others.

From the main barrel, where seven winning numbers are drawn from 35, the most frequently drawn have been 17, seven, three and nine.

From the separate Powerball barrel, where a single number is drawn from 20, the most frequently drawn have been two and four.

Entries close at 7.30pm (AEST) on Thursday before the draw takes place an hour later.