It hit $400 million over the weekend after another winner-less drawing on Saturday, and then hit $450 million on Tuesday.
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As of Wednesday evening, the prize had a $306 million cash value before taxes.
“I don’t expect to win, nobody ever really does, but this is kind of a hotspot, maybe a little lightning will strike twice”, said Pat Holtz, who also bought a ticket at Shell.
But no matter how you play, officials say your odds of winning are less than one in 292 million. That’s because the jackpot grew to a half a billion dollars. With the Tennessee Lottery Mobile app and in-store ticket checkers, players can easily check their tickets to see if they have won a prize. Previously, many had to wait to collect their prizes due to the state’s budget impasse.
Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Peuto Rico. There are nearly as many ways of choosing lottery numbers as there are chances of winning it.
The Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $500 million as more people across the country buy a chance at the biggest prize in almost a year.
The largest lottery jackpot to date was won in three states in March 2012, when the Mega Millions drawing reached a whopping $656 million.
If you don’t win the jackpot there’s still other prizes to play for.
If you want a shot at $500 million, well, you could work for it. Or you could buy a Powerball ticket. POOLING YOUR MONEY Some players feel they increase their odds of winning by pooling their money with co-workers, with a promise to split the winnings.
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The Associated Press reports that the odds are so small that even putting your money together with 50 to 100 friends won’t make much of a difference.
