Powerball drawing grows to $1.2 billion; next drawing happening tonight
CHICAGO (CBS) – The dream of becoming the next billionaire is still alive after no one won Monday's Drawing.
You have another shot at becoming that lucky winner tonight.
The Powerball jackpot has been growing and growing ahead of today's drawing.
CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reported from Hinsdale with that Powerball fever is being felt from the city to the suburbs.
This is something everyone can relate to - wanting to become the next billionaire.
The suspense is building, and that pot is growing too. Here's what you need to know:
An estimated $1.2 billion is up for grabs in tonight's drawing. So that's a cash value of at least $596 million the big prize is the second largest in Powerball history and it could continue to grow.
We always like to share what your odds are - one in 292 million.
But we went to a statistics doctor from Harvard and asked for those of you planning to lay down a lot of big cash on the Powerball is more really more?
He technically says yes but the experts tell us go into buying your ticket with the expectation you're still going to lose.
"The more you play the more you increase your odds of winning so there is something to it, of course, the amount of return is small so even if you're buying 50 tickets you're almost certainly still to lose, and not win the jackpot," said Mark Glickman Department of Statistics, Harvard University.
"Really the best thing you can do is be levelheaded about it not buy too many tickets because you're throwing away your money the key is to pick your picks at random because that will lower your chances of splitting the money with other people."
sing birthdays or low numbers could mean splitting the prize money with more people.
Tickets are $2 and the Powerball will be drawn at 9:59 p.m. tonight