JAN. 6: Another update! The jackpot estimate for tonight's Powerball drawing has been raised again. It's now an estimated $500 million annuity ($306 million cash option). It still ranks as the fourth largest jackpot in the history of the game and is still No. 6 on the list of the largest lottery prizes ever offered in North America. Remember that there is a sales cut-off time for tonight's drawing! Here in Iowa, you can buy tickets for tonight until 8:59 p.m. If you buy a ticket after that time, it will be for an upcoming drawing.
JAN. 5 UPDATE: This just in! The strong sales I mentioned yesterday keep pushing the jackpot up! The directors of the Powerball game group have just announced an increase in the jackpot amount for tomorrow night's drawing. It's now an estimated $450 million annuity ($275.4 million cash option). It's now the fourth largest jackpot in the history of the game and it's No. 6 on the list of the largest lottery prizes ever offered in North America. It will be fun to see where this one ends up!
We're starting off the new year with big Powerball news.
Strong sales in Iowa and across the country have pushed the Powerball jackpot to an estimated $400 million annuity ($244.8 million cash option) for Wednesday’s drawing. The big prize currently ranks as the sixth largest in the history of the game and has been growing since early November.
The jackpot is No. 9 on the list of the largest lottery prizes ever offered in North America. Wednesday’s estimated annuitized prize has grown $44.2 million just since Saturday’s drawing. It’s been nearly a year since the Powerball jackpot was last at this level. It hit $564.1 million in the drawing on Feb. 11, 2015, when it was split by three tickets in North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas.
Players across the country won more than 2.2 million prizes ranging from $4 up to $2 million in Saturday’s drawing, even without the jackpot being hit. Three tickets across the country matched the first five numbers to win a $1 million prize, while another won a $2 million prize by matching the first five numbers and adding the Power Play® option to the play. Here in Iowa, nearly 24,000 plays purchased by Iowa Lottery players won prizes in Saturday’s drawing.
The winning numbers in Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing were: 5-6-15-29-42 and Powerball 10. The Power Play number was 2. The Powerball jackpot was last won in the drawing on Nov. 4 with a ticket purchased in Tennessee, so it’s been growing for two months.
The record Powerball jackpot of $590.5 million was won in the drawing on May 18, 2013, by a Florida woman. The largest lottery jackpot in the world was a $656 million Mega Millions® prize won on March 30, 2012. It was split by three tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.
Eight tickets purchased in Iowa have won Powerball jackpots through the years. The largest Powerball jackpot won in Iowa was a $241 million Powerball prize claimed in June 2012 by the Shipping 20, a group of co-workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids.
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