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Powerball jackpot swells to $450M

It was almost a year ago when the Powerball jackpot last rose this high, according to Diane Patterson, vice president of sales and marketing at the Connecticut Lottery Corporation.

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“Strong Powerball sales mean more revenue for public education in Texas and for other important causes supported by lotteries across the country”, said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery and chair of the Powerball game group.

“People who don’t usually buy tickets come in when the jackpot is higher”, Mr. Noone said.

The estimated jackpot for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing has reached $400 million, the sixth-largest prize ever offered in the multistate, online lottery game.

Saturday’s $334 million prize went unclaimed, so the next drawing will be on Wednesday giving more people time to purchase tickets.

The largest Powerball jackpot was $590.5 million awarded to a Florida victor in May 2013.

The Powerball lottery is held in 44 states, Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and drawings take place Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Wednesday’s drawing has been growing since the last Powerball jackpot victor on November 4 and will keep climbing if no one wins the big prize on Wednesday. The only winning ticket holders to be identified were Merle and Patricia Butler of the small Southern Illinois town of Red Bud.

“If I can even do not forget to check them, I’ll go online”, he said.

The start of 2016 brings the possibility of untold riches as the jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing hits $400,000,000.

“If I won the millions they would know”, says Kwarteng.

QUESTION: Just how much money are we talking?

Three people split a $564.1 million Powerball jackpot in February 2015, endowing each person with $381,138,450.16 after withholdings.

Grier, like many players, has a list of things he would do if he were to win: Give money to his church, pay for his nephew’s upcoming wedding, pay off his sister’s house, help his friends who are struggling. Players should check every ticket, every time, and immediately sign winning tickets.

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You have a better chance, 1 in 12,500, to get a hole-in-one on a Par 3 golf course, according to the Professional Golfers Association.

Feeling lucky? Powerball jackpot sales soaring