Officials estimate 125 million new tickets will have been sold since Sunday, Texas Lottery spokesperson Kelly Cripe told CNNMoney.
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If no one wins Wednesday night, the prize will keep climbing.
After the Powerball jackpot hit $400 million Monday, as previously reported by HNGN, the prize has risen to an estimated $450 million, marking the biggest lottery prize in nearly a year since the Powerball prize of $564.1 million last February, according to CNBC.
The 56-year-old pipe fitter unknowingly left the only ticket to match all six numbers from the March 14 drawing pinned to a wall behind a pipe in his basement for about six weeks.
The chances of winning the Powerball are 1 in 175 million, according to lottery officials.
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.
It’s the sixth biggest jackpot in the history of Powerball. Wednesday’s drawing is at 7:05 p.m., with ticket sales stopping five minutes prior to the drawing. That puts the estimated cash value at $275.4 million.
Michael Eka, a clerk at Max’s Food and Fuel in Phoenix, Arizona, reported more than one instance of people buying more than $500 worth of tickets.
Iowa cuts off sales of the tickets at 8:59 p.m. on drawing days and in Minnesota that cut off time is 9:00 p.m.
People who are playing are already considering what they would do with their prize if they win. Tickets for the game are sold in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands – a total of 45 jurisdictions.
Scroll down for tonight’s winning Mega Millions numbers and see if you have a good excuse for calling out of work tomorrow.
A clerk at a smokehouse inside Smokin’ Joes who identified himself as “Fred” said he has been selling Florida lottery tickets for more than 20 years but refuses to play the games.
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“The New Hampshire Lottery is extremely excited to be able to kick-off 2016 with this huge Powerball jackpot”, said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission.
