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Powerball players dream of a green Christmas
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- One of the largest Powerball jackpots on record will be up for grabs Christmas Day when lottery players around the country play for an estimated $280 million prize. Sales for Wednesday's drawing are running about $2 million an hour, said Joe Mahoney, spokesman for the Multi-State Lottery Association. Powerball is played in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $1 each. It would be the third-largest jackpot in Powerball history and would be the fifth-largest among lotteries worldwide, Mahoney said. Odds of winning Wednesday's jackpot are 1 in 120 million. On Saturday, when the last drawing was held, no one matched the numbers on all five white balls and the red Powerball number, making it the 16th consecutive drawing without a Powerball winner. Mahoney said he doesn't mind having such a large jackpot in play during Christmas week, saying both players and states have a chance to benefit from the game. "There's a lot of worthwhile state projects that are funded by the Powerball," Mahoney said. In Minnesota, for instance, lottery proceeds go to environmental causes; Pennsylvania funds programs to help seniors; and educational causes are funded in New Mexico and South Carolina. On average, about 30 percent of lottery proceeds go to the designated causes, said Mahoney. Drawings are held at the MUSL studios in West Des Moines every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
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