Powerball Jackpot Jumps To $500 Million

Many lottery players are stocking up on Powerball tickets for the upcoming drawing for a $500 million jackpot.

The Powerball jackpot has reached $450 million, making it the sixth largest lottery jackpot in United States history.

The jackpot grew this week after no one won the $340 million prize in a Saturday drawing. That’s because when people hear that they didn’t hit the big jackpot, they often neglect to check whether they won any smaller prizes, according to Jacobson.

Last week, retailers in the state sold more than $1.25 million in Powerball tickets, and total sales for the current run beginning November 5 are more than $5.5 million, Woosley said.

How to play Powerball: Players pay $2 and select five white balls from the first set of 69 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 26 numbers.

At the Lucky Corner newsstand on West 96th Street, Powerball players are hoping the venue lives up to its name, WCBS 880’s Marla Diamond reported.

“When you get thousands or millions of people praying to win the lotto, it throws the universal energy into chaos”, said Espinosa.

Just to give you perspective, you have a better chance of becoming president of the United States, being struck by lighting, and being bitten by a shark rather than winning Wednesday night’s lottery. Drawings are broadcast Wednesday and Saturday at 10:12 p.m. With so much money at stake, even with poor odds, people already have plans for the winnings.

As of now, the cash payout is $306 million, though the victor will end up with far less than that.

If there is a last-minute surge in buying the $2 tickets, the final jackpot could become one of Powerball’s largest of all time. “Everybody is talking about Powerball, rushing to get a ticket and allowing themselves to dream the big dream”.

The chances of winning are one in 293 million. The odds are about 1 in 292 million. Typically, Patel works at a more heavily trafficked store in East Haven, where he’s sold many winning lottery tickets, he said. That ticket was purchased in Kansas, which is one of the few states that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous.

Winners of lesser prizes have 180 days from the drawing date to claim their prize.

Powerball is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.