Powerball now at $1.38 billion; more than $1 billion in tickets sold - Los Angeles Times
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Powerball now at $1.3 billion; more than $1 billion in tickets sold

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With no winners from Saturday’s record Powerball drawing, the jackpot is hitting billion-dollar territory.

How much is the new jackpot?

The jackpot rises to $1.3 billion for the next drawing, on Wednesday. Saturday’s winnings would have been $949.8 million.

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FOR THE RECORD, 7:56 p.m.: A previous version of this post said the jackpot rose to $1.38 billion. It has risen to $1.3 billion.

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How many tickets were sold in California?

On Friday, California players purchased about $37 million in tickets. Saturday’s sales were higher. As of 7 p.m., Californians had scooped up $59.1 million in Powerball tickets, officials said.

Nationwide, more than $1 billion in Powerball tickets were sold, lottery officials said. The Powerball game is played in 44 states and three U.S. territories.

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How does it work?

To win, a participant must match five numbers between 1 and 69 and a sixth number between 1 and 26 that is drawn separately.

If someone had hit the right combination for the jackpot Saturday, he or she would have had the option of taking a lump sum payment of $588.8 million.

California officials said that six tickets purchased in the state matched five of the six winning numbers, entitling their holders to smaller, but still substantial, prize money.

The winning numbers were: 16, 19, 32, 34, 57 and the Powerball number, 13.

What are the odds of winning?

The odds of matching all six numbers are 1 in 292.2 million.

Many underestimate just how small that probability is because 292.2 million is so large that it’s “almost impossible” for people to wrap their heads around, said Ron Wasserstein, executive director of the American Statistical Assn.

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Lottery officials probably expected bigger jackpots and, in turn, bigger sales when they implemented new game rules last year that changed the odds from 1 in 175 million, he said.

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