Winning Numbers Drawn For Record $900 Million Powerball Jackpot
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) – Powerball announced the six winning numbers for the record jackpot of more than $900 million on Saturday, setting off a scramble among hopeful lottery players across the country to check if they held a lucky ticket.
The winning numbers — disclosed live on television and online — were 32-16-19-57-34 and the Powerball number 13. All six numbers must be correct to win, although the first five can be in any order.
The record jackpot lured an unprecedented frenzy of purchases. If no one matches all the numbers, the next drawing is expected to soar to $1.3 billion.
Since Nov. 4, the Powerball jackpot has grown from its $40 million starting point as no one has won the jackpot. Such a huge jackpot was just what officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game, hoped for last fall when they changed the odds of matching all the Powerball numbers. By making it harder to win a jackpot, the tougher odds made the ever-larger prizes inevitable.
The U.S. saw sales of $277 million on Friday alone and more than $400 million were expected Saturday, according to Gary Grief, the executive director of the Texas Lottery.
Locally, one business was doing their part earlier in the day to spread the wealth.
Motorcycles weren't the only hot items on the floor at Hot Metal Harley-Davidson in West Mifflin.
Customers were given a chance to become instant millionaires… if their free Powerball ticket had all the correct numbers. Hot Metal Harley planned to give away 500 tickets before Saturday night's drawing.
"All you have to do is come over to the table, sign up and we're gonna hook you up with a free Powerball ticket," operations manager Rocky Marks said.
The company wants to give something back after having a great year in 2015.
"Hopefully, someone will win," general manager Lori Flanigan said. "We want to reward our customers."
For some customers, the reward or jackpot is too much money to dream about winning.
"Everyone would be happy in my family, put it that way," customer John Dennis said.
"I actually hope I don't win," customer Bob Harris said. "It's too much money!"
The winner Saturday night must overcome near impossible odds of more than 292 million to 1. But that's not stopping people from buying tickets.
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By 11 a.m. Saturday, the jackpot jumped from $800 million to $900 million. Tickets and lines were moving fast at Al's Market in Braddock, a place where ticket buyers have gotten lucky before.
"In three months, we had a million dollars, $325 thousand, then another million," owner Albert Handezn said.
Ticket buyer Alan Hall has seen people do crazy things to try to win a big jackpot.
"I have friends of mine in Florida, they second-mortgaged their house and tried to get money to buy lottery tickets," Hall said. "Especially when it's this high and everything else. Of course, naturally, he lost it all."
Meanwhile, ticket buyer Henry Walker let the computer pick his numbers. He plans to be charitable if he wins.
"Everyone, everything I can do for everyone," he said.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
