Powerball jackpot soars to $310 million

No one won.

And Thursday morning the New York Lottery was advising that, due to heavy traffic, their website was in "high jackpot mode." No kidding?

The next nationwide Powerball jackpot drawing is going to be worth at least $310 million, it was announced Thursday. That would make it the 11th largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history -- and fourth-largest Powerball jackpot ever.

The Top 10 pools range from the $314.3-million Powerball prize won in Indiana in August 2007, to the all-time U.S. record prize of $390 million, split between two Mega Millions tickets sold in New Jersey and Georgia in March 2006.

The life-altering $310-million pool at stake in Saturday night's Powerball drawing is the largest -- and, fastest-accumulating -- jackpot since the game increased its single-game ticket price from $1 to $2 on Jan. 15. Officials said the game was also changed to offer better odds of winning and to increase jackpot pools.

Since the format change, no one has hit the jackpot.

Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 175,223,510, according to the lottery.

A jackpot win requires matching five white-ball numbers between 1 and 59 and the red Powerball -- numbered 1 to 35.

The top prize is paid in 30 graduated annual installments, though winners can opt for a smaller lump-sum cash payout.

The largest Powerball jackpots ever were: $365 million, hit in Nebraska on Feb. 18, 2006; $340 million, hit in Oregon on Oct. 19, 2005; and the $314.3 million, hit in Indiana.