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Powerball jackpot climbs to $175 million
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Lottery hopefuls saw their dreams dashed, at least for a few more days, as no player won Saturday night's estimated $129 million Powerball jackpot. The jackpot jumps to at least $175 million for the next drawing on Wednesday, according to the Web site of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which runs Powerball. Twenty-three players matched five winning numbers -- 3, 14, 20, 22, 48 -- but did not get the Powerball number, 17. Those 23 tickets are worth $100,000 each, according to the MUSL. Thousands of would-be winners scrambled Saturday to buy Powerball tickets in 21 states and the District of Colombia, making for long lines and high hopes. An estimated sale of 1 million tickets represents a five-fold increase beyond the average ticket sales for Powerball jackpots, said Tony Cooper, president of the Powerball Game Group and executive director of the D.C. lottery. The game, one of several run by the MUSL, even tempted lottery players from neighboring non-Powerball states to cross the border. When one Washington, D.C., convenience store opened Saturday morning, 25 people already were waiting in line to buy tickets. A man from Maryland, which does not participate in Powerball, drove to Washington Saturday morning and told CNN, "When I saw the $100 million, I said, 'Oh my God. I've got to get it.'"
A woman named Reba was planning on buying five tickets. Reba said if she won, she'd "pay off all debts and see where life takes me." Saturday's drawing was held in West Des Moines, Iowa, where the MUSL is based. Every Wednesday and Saturday night, a Powerball representative draws five white balls from a drum with 49 balls, and one red "Powerball" out of a drum with 42 red balls. To win the jackpot, a player must match all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball. |
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