Officials say the odds are growing that someone will win the $900 million Powerball jackpot, which grew by $100 million just hours before Saturday night’s drawing. The jackpot is $165 million for Friday night’s drawing and while it’s a small one compared to the massive $800 million Powerball jackpot, it’s more than enough money to make life very comfortable. No one matched the numbers drawn for Wednesday night’s estimated 0 million jackpot. The jackpot can be paid out annually over the next 29 years or a cash lump sum prize of $496 million. Powerball sales must stop by 10 p.m. EST on Saturday, but states can cut off sales earlier.
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The previous record for a US lottery jackpot was $656 million. This Saturday’s Powerball drawing will boast a record $700 million jackpot. Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Tickets sales end at 9 p.m. today. “I bought a Dr. Pepper and my Powerball tickets”, Grant said.
“Ever since then, I go, hell, if it happened once, it’s gotta happen again”, Diaz said.
The jackpot has grown substantially since Wednesday’s drawing, which started off at $675 million.
Lottery changed the odds of matching all the Powerball numbers last fall: The former one in 175 million to one odds were replaced with a seemingly impossible one in 292.2 million chance.
Jerry Lambert buys tickets just about every week.
Buzz about the game has vaulted sales so high that Powerball sales are breaking records, according to Powerball officials, AP reported.
Winners of any significant amount should contact Hoosier Lottery customer service at 1-800-955-6886 (phone number printed on the back of all Hoosier Lottery tickets) for claim instructions.
“It’s just the fantasy of standing there and thinking “I might just win this lottery” and ‘oh my gosh, the mortgage, the house payment, the auto payment.’ That’s going to drive them to buy the ticket”, said Carilion Clinic Psychiatrist Dr. Tracey Criss, Interim Co-Chair of the Department of Psychiatry.
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Each game costs $2. “When the jackpot gets bigger, your chances of winning stays the same, but the chances that somebody wins increases”. And, if a retail location sells a single winning ticket, they will receive the maximum retailer bonus of $1 million.
