Powerball jackpot rises to $750 million due to strong ticket sales

1 year ago 8

More than $1.3 billion is on the line between Mega Millions and Powerball.

WASHINGTON — The estimated Powerball jackpot has surged again thanks to high ticket sales, climbing from $725 million to $750 million ahead of Wednesday night's drawing.

“There’s a lot of excitement surrounding both Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot runs, attracting new players and those who might occasionally play,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and Pennsyvania Lottery executive director, in a news release.

The $750 million prize is one of the top 10 largest ever, but the winner will only get the full amount if they choose the annuity option — a sum paid out over 29 years. Winners usually choose the cash option. For Wednesday's drawing, that's a lump sum of $378.8 million.

Meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot is sitting at $560 million for its Friday night drawing — meaning more than $1.3 billion is on the line between the two games.

When is the Powerball drawing?

The Powerball drawing takes place live at 10:59 p.m. Eastern every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets, which cost $2 per play, are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The game’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes that draw more players. The all-time largest Powerball jackpot was $2.04 billion, a sum won last November.

Can you buy a Powerball ticket online?

While Powerball tickets are sold in all but five states, buying tickets online is much more restrictive.

Whether or not you're able to buy a Powerball ticket online depends on your location.

Currently, the lotteries in just nine states and the District of Columbia offer ways to purchase Powerball tickets online or through their lottery's mobile app. Those states include: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

If you don't live in one of those states, you may not be out of luck completely.

Another option that's popped up in recent years is courier services, like Lotto.com and Jackpocket, which allow players to order lottery tickets via a mobile app or website. Those companies go and buy the ticket on the player's behalf from a licensed retailer in their state, then upload an image of it on the app and securely store the physical ticket.

But location is again key, because these courier services are not available everywhere.

Jackpocket is currently available in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington, DC and West Virginia.

Lotto.com currently operates in Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Texas.