February 2, 2010

Wednesday’s PowerBall® Jackpot Is Now $115 Million

The excitement generated by the addition of ten new states to the game has resulted in increase sales.  The PowerBall® game’s estimated jackpot for Wednesday, February 3, has jumped by $8 million to a new jackpot estimate of $115 million annuity.   The new cash jackpot estimate is $56.4 million.

With the recent jackpot win in the Mega Millions® game, now sold by 35 lotteries, players are continuing their dreams of winning with the PowerBall® game.  PowerBall® is currently offering the largest jackpot prize in America.

“This is just the first example of the impact we are likely to see from the ability for more states to play both of the nation’s super-jackpot games,” said Gerald Aubin, Director of the Rhode Island Lottery.

Through an agreement between the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and the Mega Millions consortium, ten additional lotteries began selling PowerBall® on Sunday January 31, 2010.  The new states are Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington.  A total of 43 lotteries are now selling PowerBall® and 35 are selling Mega Millions® in the cross selling initiative.

Aubin said, “When jackpots get this high, players have fun dreaming and talking with their friends and families about what they would do if they won.  Brining the two big jackpot games to more states will make that fun last longer.”  

Aubin adds that the profits from the sale of tickets for PowerBall® and Mega Millions® remain in the state where they are purchased. The two games have contributed billions to support many worthwhile state projects.   PowerBall® drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time.

PowerBall® is the multi-state lotto game in which players select five numbers from 1 to 59 and a single PowerBall® from 1 to 39.  The jackpot is won by matching all 5 numbers plus the PowerBall®.  The game offers 8 additional prize levels beside the jackpot; matching 5 numbers without the PowerBall® pays $200,000. 

PowerBall® offers an optional play feature called Power Play® that allows players to multiply their prizes won.  Before every draw a multiplier number from 2X to 5X is drawn that players can use to multiply their winnings, except for the jackpot.  The Mega Millions® game also offers a similar Megaplier® option through 24 lotteries.