Powerball fever! Sales push Wednesday’s jackpot to $1.5 billion

Washington lottery officials say they’ll help any potential Canadian Powerball winners collect their prize money, after concerns that a little-known USA law could prevent cross-border players from cashing in on Wednesday’s record jackpot.

But- will anyone win?

Through last Saturday about $1.75 billion in Powerball tickets have been bought since the last jackpot win on November 4, Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery and chair of the Powerball game group.

Lottery officials say the odds of winning the $1.5 billion jackpot is one in 292 million.

The odds of winning the jackpot are long – 1 in 292 million – but eventually someone or several people in places where Powerball is played will capture the jackpot.

The world’s largest lottery jackpot is up for grabs in a highly anticipated drawing Wednesday night. The state’s casino-based tourism industry accounts for 28 percent of Nevada’s total workforce, pays taxes that make up 45 percent of state general fund revenues, and is a major contributor to political campaigns.

The $1.5 billion prize would be paid in annual payments over 29 years.

Tip number 2 deals with choosing your Powerball numbers. Each purchase of $20 or more comes with a free ticket.

None of the six states has a lottery of any kind.

According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, Americans spend $70-billion every year on lottery tickets – an average of $217 per person. With reliable online lottery ticket agents like The Lotter, Play USA Lotteries and Play Huge Lottos offering tickets for the Powerball lottery, the jackpot is now accessible to everyone from around the world.

Polston says if you beat the odds and pick the winning numbers, the first thing you should do is sign the back of your ticket and take some time to get organized.

The next draw will happen tonight at 10:59 p.m. ET.