Anyone purchasing a Powerball ticket for the Saturday night drawing has a very small chance of winning a very big sum: a record-setting estimated $900 million jackpot, with the current cash option at an estimated $558 million.
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The prize, which rises with every drawing that produces a winning series of six numbers held by no ticket buyer, now ranks as the largest jackpot for any lottery in North American history.
“At this level of sales, we will have thousands of winners in New York at various prize levels”, Gardner Gurney, director of the New York Lottery, said in a statement. But even if some yahoo in MI wins that sweet cash, a New Yorker scored some big bucks yesterday-some lucky duck bought a $165 million Mega Millions ticket at a deli in Staten Island. Officials say that if no one wins today, the next jackpot will be $1.3 billion. “I guess people just feel they can do better than waiting 30 years to get all their money”. He said he bought a ticket earlier in the week when the jackpot was around $500 million, but once that drawing came and went without a victor he thought he’d try again.
“It’s so exciting”, she said. If no one matches all the numbers on Saturday night, the next drawing is expected to soar to $1.3 billion.
Here in California, sales for tickets for the $900 million jackpot will stop no later than 7 p.m. local time.
The powerball jackpot drawing takes place Saturday, January 9 at 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. “We’re seeing long lines at retail locations across the state”, Traverso said.
Momtaz Parvin pulls Powerball lottery ticket from the printer at her store in Oklahoma City, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, as the multi-state jackpot reaches $800 million.
Harvey said that if he won he would set his children up with generational wealth and buy his dream vehicle, a Chevrolet Chevelle SS.
“I’ve gotta start somewhere”, she said, laughing after getting her quick-pick numbers.
The chance of no one hitting all five initial numbers and the Powerball number is growing slimmer, Grief acknowledged. “I’m playing for my wife and two kids and told them to give me some lucky numbers, so who knows?”
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“I got the winners right here!”, William Potts, a Tyrone resident said.
