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Powerball jackpot climbs to $495M -- the 8th-highest prize of all time

Published  March 15, 2019 2:54pm CDT
U.S.
FOX 6 Now Milwaukee

MADISON, Wis. -- Just shy of a half-billion dollars, the Powerball jackpot is the eighth-highest in history as of Friday, March 15. At $495 million, the Saturday, March 16 drawing could produce the first winner of 2019.

According to a news release from Wisconsin Lottery officials, the jackpot is up 16 percent over the previous Saturday, and nearly 10 percent since Wednesday's draw. Saturday marks the 23rd drawing since the last Powerball jackpot win on Dec. 26. The $495 million figure is the highest in seven months when October's frenzy reached $687.8 million.

Wisconsin has nabbed 16 jackpot wins since Powerball's 1988 inception. The state's most recent jackpot winner was a Milwaukee resident in 2017.

Powerball also features prizes ranging from $4 to $1 million. A pair of $50,000 Wisconsin wins came from the most recent draw on March 13.

How to play: 


    The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1:292.2 million.