By Todd Northrop
The multi-state Powerball lottery drawing took place Wednesday night without any jackpot winners, causing the new jackpot for Saturday's drawing to grow to an estimated $174 million, with a cash option of $110 million.
Saturday night was the 10th consecutive drawing without a jackpot winner.
Even though there were no jackpot winners, 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Idaho, 1 from Iowa, and 1 from North Carolina.
None of the second prize tickets was purchased with the Power Play option.
42 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $10,000. Of those tickets, 7 also were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $40,000.
The Powerball winning numbers for Wednesday, September 19, were 1, 5, 8, 39, and 50, with Powerball number 23.
The last Powerball jackpot to reach or exceed the size of the upcoming Saturday drawing was last month, on August 15, when Donald Lawson, a Railroad Engineer from Lapeer, Michigan, won $337 million and chose to take the cash option of $224.7 million — the largest Powerball cash payout in the history of the game. (See Michigan railroad engineer claims $337M Powerball lottery jackpot, Lottery Post, August 31, 2012.)
A total of 694,712 tickets across the USA won more than $7.9 million in prizes playing "America's Game" Wednesday. 108,142 of those winning tickets were purchased with the Power Play option, which increased their prizes up to 4 times.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, any non-jackpot prize is increased by a set amount. For example, second-place Power Play-enabled tickets matching five numbers but not the Powerball are increased from $1 million to $2 million.
Powerball is now played in 42 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Powerball winning numbers are published at USA Mega (www.usamega.com) minutes after the drawing takes place.
Ching ching! The bubble is getting bigger again.
The Superbowl is "Americas game". Powerball is Uncle Sams game.
Ah.....The wonders of the voluntary tax system.
Hmmm, looks like only a little over 15.5% of players played the Power Play option. I guess I'm in the minority.
But I know if I was one of those 42 players who got 4+1, I'd sure be glad to be one of the seven of them who spent the extry buck to get 40k instead of 10k.
And even as unlikely as it is, you're waaaaay more likely to hit 4+1 (1 in 648,976) than the Jackpot (1 in 175,223,510).
who's going to win this time? a califorian or a new yorker?
If nobody wins Saturday a few more of those players who are reluctant to spend $2 on a ticket will be buying a PB ticket for Tuesday's drawing. I was one and already I'm giving up buying 20 MM tickets tonight to buy 10 PB tickets for tomorrow.
Hey Ballz, I'm hoping it's one of us in New Jersey!
Let's split it between Nutley and Eatontown, eh?
California doesn't have PowerBall, if a Californian wins it he will have brought his ticket out of state, maybe in New York.
I hear you Ridge. I'd like to double down with the power play but I just can't afford it. I play both MM and PB on every drawing so it gets expensive besides, I've never won more than $7.00 on any game. No confidence.
I can see not playing the Power Play if you're buying a lot of tickets, that it could become cost prohibitive but I only play two lines so it's worth it to me. I'm in on every drawing too and I think I'd be pissed if I won 10k, knowing that another buck would have made it 40k.
But then I'm always swingin' for the fences.
Good luck!
The Powerball drawings are Wednesdays and Saturday.
I am hoping to wake up sunday a very happy man so I will buy in.
Goodluck players
Speaking of the crazy odds, I read this one recently from another article and it just cracks me up:
"...a person who drives 10 miles to buy a Powerball ticket is 16 times more likely to die in a car crash than to win the big jackpot."
I'm still convinced I'm gonna hit the jackpot though dammit!!! LOL!!
Good. It's probably in your best interest to remain a "convinced" gambler.
Here nifty Powerball jackpot, here, come to me and we will be happy together! I love you, you big, beautiful, Powerball jackpot!
I powerplay too Ridge! I only play one line. So good luck to all of us may someone from lottery post finally win a jackpot in the multi-state lottery.-weshar75
Madam Zelda just told me the winner will be in Maine, maybe Sep 22nd or maybe when it gets over $200M.
Both states will win this time. The winners will have to split the jackpot.
(For MM's).
How about including Egg Harbor twp. in a 3 way split, it's still over 20 mil. clear for ea. more than enough for me.
ohh... I don't have a ticket.... still time to get 1 tomorrow.
Nice numbers, $110m cash. I like 'em.
It'll look good on my 2012 tax return.
Good luck to all our PB players. May it be one of us reporting $110m gross income for 2012!
Very Interesting !!
I join your comment and add that the "Powerball is Uncle Sam's and the States' game".
I think its high time NH wins one.
Lets just meet in the middle and call it "Government owned"
Ca and NY own this thing for now on.
I'll just play for second prize only.
Good stuff, weshar75, that's how I play my advance monthly too! Cheers.
I no longer play PB
You couldn’t be more right, and I completely concur!
I forgot that even local governments are all in line, for their share of governments’ revenue schemes, dubbed the lotteries.
niether, a georgian lol