Peninsula Daily News
and The Associated Press
NOBODY HAD ALL six numbers for a $250 million Powerball lottery jackpot Wednesday night, so the jackpot for tonight’s drawing will top $325 million.
The game is played in Washington state and 41 other states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, so the early jackpot estimate of could be more because of added player interest.
Powerball currently holds the record for the largest single prize awarded by an American lottery, set on February 18, 2006, when a single ticket won the advertised $365 million jackpot.
If Saturday night’s jackpot is won by a single ticket-holder, the winner can get the $325 million in a 25-year annuity or take a lump sum prize estimated at $212 million, Powerball officials said.
Tonight’s Powerball jackpot is the fourth-largest in the game’s history.
Since Powerball tickets doubled in price to $2 in January, the number of tickets sold has decreased, but the sales revenue has made up for it, increasing by about 35 percent, said Norm Lingle, chairman of the Powerball board of directors.
And as the price went up, so did the jackpots, enticing thousands across the country to play.
Here’s the link for more Powerball details: http://www.powerball.com
