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Powerball Jackpot Grows to 1.4 Billion

As of Tuesday morning, the estimated Powerball jackpot is $1.5 billion – an estimated cash value of $930 million if the victor takes the immediate cash buyout.

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Maryland has netted $14 million more in profit from all lotto ticket sales in the last five weeks compared with the same period a year ago.

Only one of the winners, Imari Shelton, 19, has stepped forward to claim the $1 million prize. A study of US lottery winners from the 1980s found that winning a lot of money (rather than just a little bit) increased reported savings rates, and large winners tended to scale back on the number of hours they worked. Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington DC, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Many of you have done the same.

This, in my opinion, is what’s good about lotteries. He said the potential big payoff is fun and exciting.

A $2 ticket has a one in 292.2 million chance of winning the grand prize, Powerball said. According to one article, the odds are roughly the same as flipping a coin 28 times and having it land on heads every time.

Most states transfer a portion of their lottery revenues to education funds, but there’s a diverse collection of other uses for the money. As lottery jackpots climb beyond $200 million, occasional players start buying tickets, lottery officials in several states have said.

In this photo made with a fisheye lens a clerk hands a patron his $10 worth of chances for the upcoming Powerball drawing on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Cranberry Township, Pa. The Powerball jackpot has reached a record $900 m…

The large jackpot has those who can’t play in their states driving across state lines – if they can.

Last week’s Powerball sales in Wisconsin were $21,709,943.

In Powerball, about 50 percent of revenues go toward prizes.

About 4.5 percent goes to lottery administration.

“I don’t want to speculate about how much Nebraska will benefit from the current jackpot run while it’s still going on”, says Neil Watson, a state government spokesman.

But this is one time that those arguments shouldn’t sway your decision on whether to play.

Lottery billboards across the country are broken because of Wednesday’s record Powerball jackpot.

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In Omaha, Les Wheeler said he probably overdid it by buying $30 worth of tickets for Saturday’s drawing with a few friends, but they plan to do the same for this next jackpot.

No Powerball winner Saturday