Brisk Powerball Sales Greatly Benefit Older Pennsylvanians

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ticket sales for tonight's world record Powerball® drawing are generating tens of millions of dollars for programs that benefit older adults, the Pennsylvania Lottery said today.  The jackpot for tonight's Powerball drawing has a $1.5 billion annuity value or a $930 million cash prize.

"Tickets will be available until 9:59 p.m. Wednesday and we urge all players to please play responsibly," said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. "This world-record jackpot has been great for Powerball players and winners, as well as for the older Pennsylvanians who benefit from Lottery proceeds."

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Lottery had sold more than $155.6 million in Powerball tickets since the historic jackpot run began in November, which translates into nearly $62.2 million in new funding to support benefits for older Pennsylvanians – a number that will rise as sales continue. Last year, the Pennsylvania Lottery generated over $1 billion to support programs that benefit older adults. 

At 1:30 p.m. the Pennsylvania Lottery was selling approximately 16,000 Powerball tickets per minute, statewide.

Before rolling to a $1.3 billion jackpot on Saturday night, Powerball® produced hundreds of thousands of winners across Pennsylvania – including a $1 million winner, seven winners of $150,000, numerous $50,000 winners and many more. The jackpot was boosted on Monday to $1.4 billion annuity value or an $868 million cash prize. On Tuesday, it was raised to a $1.5 billion annuity value or a $930 million cash prize.

This jackpot has been rolling since the November 4, 2015, drawing. Since then, in Pennsylvania alone, Powerball has produced a total of more than 2.1 million winners of over $22 million in prizes, including one $2 million winner and three $1 million winners.

If Wednesday's jackpot is won by a Pennsylvania player, it would become the state's 20^th multi-state jackpot win. The Pennsylvania Lottery has sold 17 jackpot-winning Powerball tickets and two jackpot-winning Mega Millions tickets.

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.

Players are reminded to check every ticket, every time. In Pennsylvania, winners have one year from the drawing date to claim their prizes. Winners cannot be identified until prizes are claimed and tickets are validated.

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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