Powerball jackpot reaches $500 million

While the likelihood of winning the grand prize is one out of 292 million, many believe the odds are in their favor.

This is the sixth largest Powerball jackpot in history.

If no tickets match the numbers spit out by the lottery’s machine on Thursday night, there will be another drawing on Saturday and an even bigger prize.

In the last few days, Powerball sales have seen a huge spike nationwide with the $500 million jackpot.

Gloria Mackenzie of Zephryhills, Florida, won the largest Powerball jackpot of all time in 2013, worth $590.5 million. But as lottery officials often note, you have no chance of winning if you don’t buy a ticket. “They change the game in an attempt to get attention and spur sales, generate interest and get people excited about the lottery”.

If there is a winning ticket and the holder takes the money in cash, the total will amount to more than $300 million. The jackpot now is the fifth-largest ever in North America, and if there is no victor after Wednesday night’s drawing, the prize will keep climbing.

Why? Because the lotteries will make more money, boosting state budgets.

The estimated jackpot for the next draw of the US Powerball Lottery has reached $500m (£342m).

WBTV asked one woman what she would do with all the money. The overall chance of winning a prize is 1 in 31.85. The number is drawn at 9:59 p.m. central time Wednesday. Powerball player, Jim Tignor said if he wins, he will share it his family and donate to charities. To get that much, winners have to take payments over 30 years.

Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Peuto Rico. Those odds are one in 11.7 million, more than twice as tough as they used to be.