8 years ago
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Powerball Lottery Jackpot Hits Record $500m
The previous record Powerball prize was $365m (£228m), which was won in 2006 by a group of food workers in Nebraska.
The top prize in America's biggest lottery has reached a staggering $500m (£311.6m) and is set to climb higher as ticket sales soar ahead of the draw
The Powerball jackpot is the largest ever for the game and the second largest lottery jackpot of all time, eclipsed only by the $656m Mega Millions record set in March.
A single winner of Wednesday's Powerball choosing the cash payout will take home $327m before taxes.
Khanh Nguien in Atlanta, Georgia said the jackpot would give the winner "a lot" of opportunities.
"I would be paying off my house. I'd be giving it to my charity, and then I'd give it to my family. It's a lot of things. I could use it now."
One ticket-holder in New York said: "All the money, I'm going to give it to some charity, for this Hurricane Sandy."
However, the chance of the numbers on their ticket matching those on the five white balls and one red ball drawn on the night are slim.
The odds of scooping the jackpot are 1 in 175.22 million, according to the Wisconsin Lottery.
There has been no Powerball winner since October 6. The jackpot was first posted at $425m on Monday but revised upward when brisk sales increased the payout.
The previous top Powerball prize was $365m (£228m) in 2006 which was won by a group of food workers in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The game is played in all but a handful of US states.
Record jackpots encourage players who usually sit on the sidelines to play and group purchases from work pools increase.
Robert Armstrong said after buying a ticket in Atlanta, Georgia: "I think it's just a thrill and the excitement of having the possibility of even winning. It's a small amount of money to pay for the opportunity to get into the pool."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment