Powerball soars to $1 billion for Saturday's drawing
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The Powerball jackpot grew to an estimated $1 billion on Dec. 11. Photo: Courtesy of Bruce Tyko
The Powerball jackpot has surged to an estimated $1 billion ahead of Saturday night's drawing — one of the largest prizes in the game's history.
Why it matters: It's the seventh-largest Powerball jackpot ever and the second time this year the top prize has crossed the $1 billion mark.
- The last time was Sept. 6, when tickets in Missouri and Texas split a record-setting $1.787 billion payout.
Powerball $1 billion jackpot for Dec. 13
State of play: The jackpot has been rolling since the early September drawing when the second-largest U.S. lottery prize ever was won.
- Saturday's drawing will be the 42nd in the current jackpot run and would tie the game record for most consecutive drawings in a single jackpot cycle, lottery officials said Thursday.
- The Dec. 13 jackpot has a cash value of $461.3 million as of Thursday,
When is the next Powerball drawing?
Saturday's drawing is at 10:59pm ET. It will be broadcast on the Powerball website and television stations across the country from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee.
- Drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How to play Powerball lottery
How it works: Lottery players can pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers — five different numbers from 1 to 69 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
- "Quick Pick" or "Easy Pick" tickets can also be purchased where numbers are selected automatically.
Where to buy Powerball lottery tickets
Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah do not participate in the lottery.
Powerball ticket price
Powerball tickets are $2 per play, but for an extra $1 per play, you can add the Power Play feature to "multiply non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10 times."
- The multiplier number is randomly selected just before each drawing.
- The Match 5 prize with Power Play is always $2 million, Powerball said.
Between the lines: The 10X multiplier is only in play when the advertised jackpot annuity is $150 million or less, according to the lottery.
Cutoff time play Powerball
The deadline to purchase tickets for Saturday's drawing varies by state because individual lotteries sell Powerball tickets.
- Most cutoff times are one to two hours before the drawing.
