Powerball Jackpot Boosted to $535 Million on Brisk Sales

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Aug. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In response to brisk ticket sales, the Powerball® jackpot for the Saturday, August 19, drawing was increased today to a $535 million annuity value or a $340.1 million cash prize. It is the game's fifth-largest jackpot on record.

The jackpot initially rolled to a $510 million annuity value, or $324.2 million cash, after Wednesday's drawing, which produced a $150,000 Powerball with Power Play® winner in Luzerne County.  

"With a jackpot above the half-billion dollar mark, Powerball tickets are selling like solar eclipse glasses – but tickets are much easier to find in stores," said Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko, who noted that this is the game's largest jackpot since the run-up to the world-record jackpot in early 2016. That historic prize totaled nearly $1.6 billion.

Svitko reminded players to please play responsibly. Tickets will remain on sale in Pennsylvania until 9:59 p.m. Saturday. The televised drawing takes place at 11 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.

Pennsylvania Lottery has sold 17 Powerball jackpot-winning tickets since joining the multi-state game 15 years ago this summer. The largest Powerball prize Pennsylvania has ever awarded was a $110.2 million cash-value jackpot claimed by a New Jersey couple in May 2004. The state's largest Powerball group win was a $107.5 million cash jackpot shared by 48 transit workers from the Philadelphia area in April 2012.

How to play Powerball: Players pay $2 and select five white balls from the first set of 69 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 26 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using a Powerball playslip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win a cash prize.

Purchasing the $1 Power Play option allows a winner to increase lower-tier prizes by a factor of 2, 3, 4 or 5, depending on the Power Play number drawn. A 10X multiplier will be available for the Match 4+1 prize and lower prize tiers when the jackpot is at or below $150 million, or when announced. The jackpot and the Match 5 prize are not multiplied. The Match 5 prize with the Power Play option is worth $2 million. It is $1 million without Power Play.

Powerball is sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Pennsylvania, tickets are sold until 9:59 p.m. on drawing nights, Wednesday and Saturday.

About Us: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery to direct all proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since ticket sales began in 1972, it has contributed nearly $28 billion to fund property tax and rent rebates, transportation, care services, prescription assistance, and local services including senior centers and meals. 

Players must be 18 or older. Please play responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) for help with a compulsive gambling problem.

Visit palottery.com for winning numbers, rules, chances of winning, and to join the VIP Players Club for second chances to win. Install our official mobile app, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @PALottery.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lottery Media Relations, 717-702-8008

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery