Community Corner

Powerball Jackpot Reaches $550 Million for Saturday's Drawing

The jackpot is the second-largest pot in the game's history.

Want to try your luck at the Powerball lottery? You only need one $2 ticket to play.

The Powerball jackpot was boosted to $550 million (or a $350.1 million cash prize) for the Saturday, May 18, drawing after none of the tickets sold Wednesday matched the winning numbers.

The multi-state mega-lottery had rolled to a $475 million value after Wednesday's drawing but increased by $75 million Thursday afternoon as a result of strong ticket sales.

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The $550-million jackpot is the second-largest pot in the game's history. The largest was won on Nov. 28, 2012, when a $587.5-million jackpot was shared by two tickets sold in Arizona and Missouri.

Tickets for the next Powerball drawing will be available until 9:59 Saturday evening. Your odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 175.2 million. You're more likely to get struck by lightning (one in 700,000) or fatally attacked by a shark (one in 3.7 million).

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But, hey, somebody has to win.

According to WTAE, the luckiest Powerball number to play is 56. It's been picked 18 times since January 2012. Click here to see the other "luckiest" numbers to play.

If you want to double your luck, lottery players are also excited about the May 17 Mega Millions drawing, with that game's jackpot offering a $190-million annuity value (or a $140.9-million cash prize).

Want to know where to play Powerball? Find a retailer here.

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