Does the Powerball jackpot change at different times of the year or with the economy?
The Powerball jackpot changes based on how many people played it
in the week before, and whether it is won or not. It is not set
according to the time of the year or the economy, but these things
could have an effect on how many people play Powerball, and thus
indirectly affect the jackpot amount.
i.e. If the Powerball jackpot is no won, the Powerball operator
has to put a certain amount of the money from ticket sales back
into the prize pool for the next week - that is how the jackpot
amount is set.