By Todd Northrop
The multi-state Powerball lottery drawing happened last night without any jackpot winners, causing the new jackpot for Saturday's drawing to grow to an estimated $171 million, with a cash option of $88.7 million.
Wednesday night was the 9th consecutive drawing without a jackpot winner.
Even though there were no jackpot winners, 6 lucky tickets matched the first five numbers for a $200,000 second-place prize: 1 from Florida, 1 from Idaho, 1 from Nebraska, 1 from Washington, 1 from West Virginia, and 1 from Wisconsin.
The ticket sold in West Virginia was purchased with the Power Play option, multiplying the prize to a sizeable $1 million.
58 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $10,000. Of those tickets, 12 also were purchased with the Power Play option, multiplying the prize by 2 for a total cash prize of $20,000.
The Powerball winning numbers for Wednesday, May 25, were 4, 23, 31, 42, and 50, with Powerall number 23. The Power Play number was 2.
The last Powerball jackpot to reach or exceed the size of the upcoming Saturday drawing was on April 6, 2011, when one ticket from Indiana won a $218 million grand prize.
A total of 1,108,227 tickets across the USA won more than $8.1 million in prizes playing "America's Game" Wednesday. 162,014 of those winning tickets were purchased with the Power Play option, which multiplied the prize by 2.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, any non-jackpot prize is multiplied from 2-5 times, depending on a computerized random number generated that evening. Second-place Power Play-enabled tickets matching five numbers but not the Powerball are always multiplied by 5 times, for a $1 million prize.
Powerball is now played in 41 states, 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.
Woo Hoo!
Big money for the Powerball!
Thats a nice amount, good luck everyone.
$171 Million I like the sound of that...........
Damm I hope I win. This would be a dramatic hange ever. I would buy a Bugatti, Lamboghini, and a Bentley. Damm just the thought of winning it make me feel good. I'm a believer and I believe my dream will come true. If not this one, maybe the next one. But hey the best thing is...its always gonna be there. Seriously I don't need all of that bread, but if it comes I will gladly take it. Whenever I win, I know that I will not reveal myself to the public. Please keep it to yourself. It is very dangerous to let the media know you win all that money. Next thing you know people will be feening. Worst of all, you will not feel safe because alot of people will be jealous and want to take you down. So how do you live a good happy life after you win?.. The answer is simple...just hire a trust and take your money and keep it shhhhh. Give whatever little money that you want to contribute to charity so that they can think you're a good person evebthough you not.
Well Saturday is my birthday so maybe it will bring me some good luck!!!!!
Good luck everyone!!!!
DREAMS DO COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And i know this is off subject but to those who will please pray for the families in KS, MO, and OK that have been hit hard by tornadoes this week.
A nice little Powerball Jackpot for ME before summer! LOL
Good Luck to everyone on LP!
Getting close to the point where players start getting Lottery Fever. I'll be buying a few tickets for Saturday's drawing just in case it doesn't reach that point. I can be happy with $171 millions.
I been dreamin about the number 88 all week.
One more roll of the jackpot and then it is big enough for a group play. Good luck everyone.
Oh Lord, the things ANYONE can do with THAT kind of money, of course taxes reduced it to a little over $60 million but LORD! The money, the money!
There's the windup...
Get ready for the pitch.
personally of Bugatti, Lamboghini, and a Bentleys and other high end toys ....
the only good one is one thats been toasted by it's own finely tuned innards and or vandalized
All I got was another chance to practice my cussin'.
Well, us Californians are left out in the cold again...
I thought California was supposed to have nice weather
At the job we bought 19 tickets, no powerplay. Then I plan to play my numbers so total money risked $3.
Look out Lottery Post friends ................ I just spent my $1 on the Powerball for Saturday!
I think it's time for PB to hit on a ticket from Louisiana--MINE!!
Or mine!
I am not hatin' but I am sure glad no one hit Powerball last night. I had been swamped with work all day and it was around 8:30 PM when I finally got around to heading to my nearby convenience store of choice to buy my tickets. Well, I bought two plays for Powerball, a QP and a self-pick and I only checked that the game and numbers were correct. And I saw the date, but I had completely lost track of which day it was! Also bought a Lotto ticket since the jackpot for that game is significant (over $20 million). And so I thought I was covered for last night's drawings. WRONG!!! When I rechecked my tickets this afternoon, I realized that my Powerball tickets were for the Saturday drawing vice the Wednesday drawing. I am still stuck in the time when 9PM marked the cutoff time for both Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto. I totally forgot Powerball cutoff is 8:30PM. So that is the only reason I was glad no one won since I didn't have a play in for Powerball after all. I won't make that mistake again!!!
Yeah but you Californians have been winning Mega Millions on a frequent basis like the folks in Indiana and New York have both been winning Powerball and Mega Millions...so no sympathy here. We Illinoians pay in but rarely win the big one.
In Ohio, all games except PowerBall can be played up to 15 min before its drawing. MegaMillion can be played up to 10:45 PM EST on drawing night but PowerBall can only be played up to 10:00 PM EST on drawing night, so you have to remember which game you're playing.
Give it a rest or get a new hobby.
Relax little guy, I see you're cranky tonight.
Were you jumping on the trampoline all day again?
You should really just buy some advertising, don't be such a cheapskate.
you ever think, if you bought a quick pick before the 8:30PM cutoff, you would have been the one and only Powerball winner for that draw?
Grab me two tickets with the power play. I would be happy with just the million.
rdgrnr, you should make an effort to be more polite and follow the advice "if you have nothing good to say about a person, then say nothing at all".