Powerball Numbers Drawn For Record $949.8 Million Jackpot
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Check your tickets!
Powerball announced the six winning numbers for a record jackpot of nearly $950 million on Saturday, setting off a scramble among hopeful lottery players across the country to see if they held a lucky ticket.
The winning numbers are 32-16-19-57-34 and Powerball number 13. The Multi-State Lottery Association announced the numbers live on television and on its website.
To win the jackpot, a ticket must have all six numbers correct. The first five can be in any order but the sixth must be the Powerball number.
Lottery officials said the final size of the jackpot was $949.8 million, the largest lottery prize in history. Earlier in the day, the Multi-State Lottery Association had said the jackpot would be $900 million.
But winning the grand prize won't be easy with odds sitting at about 1 in 292 million.
Sales for the lottery game have skyrocketed since Wednesday, when no one won an estimated $500 million jackpot.
Lottery officials said a winner would have the option of being paid $900 million over the course of 29 years or opting for a lump-sum cash payout of $558 million.
Financial expert Ken Mahoney stopped by the CBS2 studio on Saturday to discuss tips about what to do with your money if you should win -- and how to not go broke.
Many say you should invest the money, but how much of the winnings should a person actually spend?
Powerball Frenzy
The frenzy was real Saturday afternoon at a newsstand at Penn Station, where cashier Setara Begum said she was exhausted from taking about $10,000 worth of orders that ranged from a single $2 ticket to one man buying $500 worth of tickets.
"I'm going crazy! I can't take it anymore!'' she said, burying her face in her hands but giggling uncontrollably as she turned to a lineup of customers. Another employee stood at the entrance offering $10 worth of tickets on one page.
Scott Edwards was making the most of his chances, playing in three different groups of eight New Yorkers, a $20 buy-in per group.
"I guess eight is going to break the money down a lot,'' said the 55-year-old.
Even people who say they'd usually ignore or resist are instead, hooked.
"This is my first time playing because it's my sister-in-law's birthday and I think we're all going to win," Chrystal Joyner from Long Island told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
Lenox Terrace Pharmacy was packed on Saturday with people hoping to win the Powerball, WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini reported.
Doris Mowins catered to their big dreams behind the counter, but she also took her own chances.
"Well, I got three great-grandchildren, so I'll make sure they are set for life if I won," she said.
"I'm not going to win but I have to buy it because I have to try," said Hicksville resident Annette Ferro. "You don't buy it, you don't win it."
According to Lottery officials, if no one wins Saturday night's jackpot, the grand prize will rise to $1.3 billion. No one has won the Powerball jackpot since Nov. 4
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