$112 Million Powerball Jackpot Not a Record, But Still a Life-Changer

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Powerball® jackpot has rolled to a $112 million annuity value, or a $72.3 million cash prize, for the Wednesday, February 3, drawing. Although it's not a headline-grabbing world-record prize, a jackpot of this size is nothing to sneeze at, either.  

"Any jackpot can be a life-changer," said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. "You don't have to win a record prize in order to make a lot of dreams come true."

Pennsylvania has had 17 Powerball jackpot winners since joining the game in 2002. 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 in the Philadelphia area in April, 2012.

"While some players are increasingly motivated by larger jackpots, being part of a Powerball pool is a fun way to always keep your hand in the game," Svitko said. "Pool Play forms available at palottery.com make it easy to manage pooled ticket purchases."

In addition to the jackpot, Powerball offers various prize levels of up to $1 million (or $2 million, if a ticket is purchased with the $1 Power Play multiplier feature). 

In Pennsylvania, Powerball tickets are available until 9:59 p.m. on drawing nights, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds players to always play responsibly.

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 the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception in 1971, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed more than $25.8 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free transit and reduced-fare shared rides; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term living services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state.

The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds players to check every ticket, every time. Players must be 18 or older. Please play responsibly. For help with a gambling problem, call 1-800-848-1880.

For drawings results, winning numbers, winners' stories and to subscribe to the Lottery's RSS news feed, visit www.palottery.com. Like us on Facebook at or follow us at www.twitter.com/palottery. 

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

SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery

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