Powerball Jackpot at $425 Million: 'Excitement' Over the Largest Prize in History
The Powerball jackpot has risen to a record $425 million- the result of no one winning the game last week or in the weeks prior. Last week, the Powerball jackpot had soared into the record books with a $325 million prize, only to be trumped just a week later.
The Powerball jackpot numbers for Saturday's drawing were 22-32-37-44-50, with a Powerball of 34. Though many Americans across the United States played, none came away with the elusive combination, and now, the record-breaking $425 million prize is the largest in the game's history.
That kind of money drives many more to play the game, according to reports. For Saturday's drawing, when the prize was $325 million, more people than usual played the lottery.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Despite the Thanksgiving holiday weekend- which includes shopping opportunities for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday- sales numbers were strong for the Powerball lottery, according to Iowa Lottery representative May Neubauer. The $325 million prize was the fourth largest in the game's history.
Now, the Powerball jackpot coming Wednesday may reach even higher than the estimated $425 million, because sales pick up in the days before the drawing. The fervor over the large prize causes "a lot of excitement," Ed Van Petten, executive director of the Minnesota State Lottery, told USA Today.
"It's a fairly cheap purchase, and people see winning the large jackpot as a dream come true," he added. It should be "no surprise" that around 2 million people, or 40 percent of Minnesota, are expected to play this time, adding an estimated $4 million to the pot.
Minnesota's number of a players is dwarfed by New York, who's sales have soared past $76 million, according to Carolyn Hapeman, a representative for the state's lottery.
The Powerball jackpot lottery is the result of 42 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands all clamoring to win the grand prize. The chance of winning is calculated to be 1 in 175 million.
