Powerball Lotto Prize Climbs To $400 Million

The Powerball lottery has officially topped $400 million ahead of Wednesday’s upcoming drawing. This means one person may soon be walking away with a lump-sum payment of $227.5 million after taxes. It is the promise of wealth beyond all imaginable avarice that draws the attention of so many people as singer-songwriter Glen Fry wrote in his 1982 hit song “Smuggler’s Blues” which says “It’s the lure of easy money, it’s got a very strong appeal.”

News of the increase comes on the heels of no winner making the pick for yesterday’s $330.8 million lottery prize and its $188.4 million cash payout. Powerball tickets are sold in 43 of the country’s 50 states in addition to the U.S Virgin Islands and Washington D.C. So what are the odds of winning the lottery? According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, an entity curiously designated as a “nonprofit”, the odds are 1 in 175 million. This means that as many as two people may claim the winning numbers given the US population. According to Powerball rules, the minimum cash prize is $40 million and drawings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday with payout increasing until a winner is declared.

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Powerball Reaches $400 Million
www.washingtonpost.com/national/powerball-estimated-jackpot-surges-to-400m/2014/02/16/a30847f6-96e0-11e3-ae45-458927ccedb6_story.html