A staggering number of Powerball ticket holders can never win, an expert has warned – in a shocking blow to America’s biggest jackpot.

The center of the scandal revolves around the Quick Picks feature, which allows players to have a computer randomize their lottery numbers.

But expert Dawn Nettles claims it is a con and incinerates the chances of ever winning, even though up to 80 percent of participants use this method.

The system frequently spits out duplicate tickets with the same numbers, with it having no memory of the combinations it has already sent.

It then slashes the odds of players winning with fewer unique numbers likely to match the jackpot figures.

The idea is that as lottery jackpots climb, more Americans buy tickets, drawn in by the huge prize – which in turn boosts profits.

The Multi-State Lottery Association believes it plays a crucial role in the game, as demonstrated in a 2022 draw where winners from New York and Wisconsin shared a total of $632.6 million.

It comes as the jackpot rolled over again this week to a whopping $1.3billion, with the next draw on Wednesday night.

Powerball winners in the past have won huge amounts of money – but the amount taken out of the winnings for taxes is shocking

Edwin Castro, the winner of the record-breaking $2billion Powerball jackpot, added this sprawling Malibu mansion to his portfolio after his win

Dawn Nettles, a noted lottery expert in the middle of Texas’ lottery upheaval, advises Powerball players to manually fill out their tickets rather than relying on computer-generated selections.

Nettles runs the Lotto Report, where she tracks lottery sales and winning trends, and has a history of blowing the lid on suspicious activity.

Last year, she was pivotal in a significant Texas lottery controversy, aiding officials in exposing a dubious business group that had secured a $95 million jackpot and transferred the funds overseas.

Nettles, who told the Daily Mail she recently purchased a ticket to play, says there is a way to modestly increase your chances of winning the jackpot: write the numbers down yourself.

‘Sit down and fill out a play slip,’ she advised. ‘In Texas, we’ve had trends. For example, our Quick Picks are 90 percent big numbers.’

Nettles first called the jackpot a ‘scam’ in 2016 in a column, and has consistently said players should pick their own numbers instead of computer-generated.

She added: ‘The lottery helps a lot of economies,’ she said. ‘Winners spend it at home, they buy new cars and yachts and build additions to their homes.

‘It helps a lot of people, families, and kids in their communities. I would hope we could protect that.’

The organization that runs the national Powerball said more than 111million tickets were purchased before Monday’s drawing

Castro’s life took a dramatic turn when he purchased the winning ticket from a local gas station

Castro, who won the biggest ever Powerball, quickly started spending, including this vintage Porsche 911

The Powerball has grown to $1.3 billion, the fifth-largest in the game’s history – officials and other lottery experts tell the Daily Mail they’re confident in the game’s security

Other lottery watchers are extremely confident in the game’s security. Jared James, the founder of LottoEdge, said: ‘The numbers are drawn live on air, so you’ll forgo a massive scandal of multiple people colluding.

‘I think it’s a form of entertainment, and you have to educate yourself and remain aware that you have a long-shot chance of winning.’

James said the $1.3 billion winner should expect a much smaller windfall if they have the lucky ticket.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘The cash amount will be about $589 million’, saying that more than half of the overall pot goes to state and federal taxes. 

‘Still, this is more money than most people even need. I always ask people, ‘What is the smallest jackpot that would make a difference in your life?’

‘$1 million, which is way smaller than this pot after tax, would be life-changing money for most people.’

Still, Tim Chartier, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College, told the Daily Mail the odds of winning are nearly impossible.

He said: ‘Imagine I’m going to pick one second in the last 9.2 years. Now, tell me which second I picked. That’s the same odds as your winning Powerball.’

Expert Dawn Nettles tell the Daily Mail that players should sit down and fill out their Powerball tickets instead of relying on computer-generated picks

Monday’s spin revealed the numbers 8, 23, 25, 42, 53, and a bonus number of 5.

111,472,078 tickets were purchased, giving players a one in 292,201,338 chance of hitting the jackpot.

The largest prize went unclaimed, but two participants in Montana and North Carolina won $2million each. Another 10 tickets in nine other states won $1million.

The Powerball is about to retake center stage tonight when it draws the next numbers at 11pm. It’s now the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot in the game’s history.

A Powerball spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘We take great pride in the security measures in place.

‘Players have the same odds of winning the Powerball jackpot in each drawing, regardless of how many tickets have been sold or the size of the advertised jackpot.’