If you win the Powerball this month, you might not be as big of a millionaire

The last Powerball jackpot that someone won — just last month — was almost $400 million.

If you win the jackpot after the April 8 drawing, you’ll still be rich, but you’re probably going to be a little less so, thanks to the coronavirus.

Powerball lottery games will not have a guaranteed starting jackpot or a guaranteed increase between drawings after next week, the NC Education Lottery said in a news release.

People just aren’t buying as many tickets.

“Since last week, more states and cities have asked their residents to stay at home, which has affected normal consumer behaviors and Powerball game sales,” Gregg Mineo, chair of the Powerball Product Group said in a statement. “In response to the public health crisis, interest rates have declined.”

The guaranteed lottery was previously $40 million with a $10 million increase between drawings.

Last week, Powerball Product Group announced plans to reduce the starting guaranteed jackpot to $20 million with minimum jackpot increases of $2 million after the current jackpot was won.

However, the group announced Thursday the guaranteed jackpot will depend on interest rates and ticket sales, the release said.

The advertised Powerball jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is a guaranteed $180 million, which can rise to $190 million on April 8. After the jackpot is won, the new jackpot will depend on ticket sales.

Powerball tickets are $2 per play and are sold in 45 states.

Half of the money from Powerball ticket sales go toward prizes while 35% of the money goes toward causes supported by the lotteries, according to the company’s website.

In North Carolina, draw games like Powerball help raise more than $700 million a year for education, according to the NC Education Lottery.

“Our No. 1 priority is making sure that the Powerball game can continue to assist lotteries in raising proceeds for their beneficiaries,” Mineo said.

This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 2:01 PM with the headline "If you win the Powerball this month, you might not be as big of a millionaire."