Powerball tickets sell fast as jackpot climbs over $700 million

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Former Powerball winner John Falcon who won $45 million in 1999 has some advice for the next big winner. VIDEO: PIX11 News

The Powerball jackpot hit $700 million today, making it the eighth-largest prize in the game’s 30-year history.

The Lottery announced that the Powerball jackpot continues to grow ahead of the next drawing on Wednesday, Oct. 26. Game leaders increased the estimated jackpot on Tuesday from $680 million to $700 million ($335.7 million cash value).

The jackpot ranks as the 5th largest Powerball jackpot and the 8th largest U.S. lottery jackpot.

After 35 drawings in a row with no grand prize winner, Wednesday’s jackpot is Powerball’s largest prize so far this year. The jackpot rolled Monday night after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn – white balls: 18, 23, 35, 45, 54, and red Powerball 16.

Participating lotteries are reminding players to check their tickets for one of the nine ways to win. More than 1.2 million tickets won cash prizes totaling $13.7 million in Monday’s drawing, including one ticket in Texas that matched all five white balls to win $1 million.

Other notable wins include 32 tickets that won $50,000 (Match 4+PB) and 10 tickets that won $200,000 (Match 4+PB+Power Play).

If a player wins Wednesday’s jackpot, it will be the sixth Powerball jackpot won this year. Previous wins include:

  • $632.6 million jackpot hit on January 5 and split by winners in California and Wisconsin;

  • $185.3 million jackpot won on February 14 in Connecticut;

  • $473.1 million jackpot won on April 27 in Arizona;

  • $366.7 million jackpot won on June 29 in Vermont;

  • $206.9 million jackpot won on August 3 in Pennsylvania.

ABOUT: Powerball tickets are $2 per play. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Powerball ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold. Powerball drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Powerball drawings are also live-streamed online at Powerball.com.

Jackpot winners may choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump sum payment. Both advertised prize options are prior to federal and jurisdictional taxes. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.