Powerball Jackpot At $325 Million
CHICAGO (STMW) - No doubt there are people throughout Illinois and 43 other states daydreaming about what they would do with the grand prize -- estimated at $325 million -- from Saturday night's Powerball drawing. Perhaps they'd buy a warm-weather home -- or a private island -- where they could escape Chicago winters, season tickets to their favorite sports team -- or possibly buy the team itself.
Gov. Pat Quinn was one of those who have purchased a ticket for Saturday night's drawing. He bought his ticket Thursday at a Thompson Center newsstand while encouraging others to do the same and thus support education and capital construction programs that are funded with Illinois Powerball profits.
The estimated jackpot of $325 million -- with a cash value of $203 million-- is the largest cash jackpot of any U.S. Lottery game, according to the Illinois Lottery. After taxes a lucky winner will take home $142 million.
And lucky is what they will have to be, since the odds of matching the five numbers plus the one Power Ball number, winning the grand prize, are 1 in 175,223,510, according to the lottery.
Saturday night's drawing will be held at 9:59 p.m., but ticket sales stop an hour and a half before that.
And if no one wins the Powerball jackpot Saturday night, Lottery officials project a jackpot of $415 million for Wednesday's drawing – which would be the largest jackpot in U.S. history.
Currently, the largest ever Powerball jackpot was $365 million, won Feb. 18, 2006 in Nebraska.
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