Powerball Jackpot Rises To Record $1.5 Billion
BOSTON (CBS) — The jackpot for Wednesday's Powerball has reached a world record estimated $1.5 billion.
The winning ticket of the January 13th drawing is eligible for a $1.5 billion annuity value or a $930 million cash prize.
There was no winner for Saturday night's record $949.8 million Powerball drawing. The jackpot was last hit November 4. Since then, there have been 19 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner.
Keller @ Large: Do You Really Want To Win?
The previous high for a Powerball jackpot was the $590.5 million drawing won on May 18, 2013–and the previous U.S. lottery record was a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot, split by three winners on a March 30, 2012 drawing.
Most recently, there was one $1 million Match 5 winner in Boston. The winning ticket was sold at Clarendon Wine Co. on Boylston St.
Tickets for Powerball can be purchased at any Massachusetts Lottery retailer and cost $2. Players can add an extra dollar to get the Power Play option, which multiplies any non-jackpot prize won on their ticket.
Powerball is played in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Wednesday's drawing will be held at 10:59 p.m.