Powerball jackpot at $400M ahead of Wednesday drawing
John Siehien of Plainview shows off the Powerball ticket he purchased at Lovely Cards & Gifts in Hicksville. The jackpot for Wednesday night's Powerball drawing is $400 million. (Sept. 18, 2013) Credit: Barry Sloan
The Powerball jackpot Wednesday night was estimated at $400 million, with a one-time cash payout of $223.6 million before taxes, lottery officials said.
The odds of matching all six numbers are about 1 in 175 million, according to the game's website.
The record Powerball jackpot was $590.5 million, won in May by an octogenarian in Florida. The second-largest grand prize of $587 million was split by two players -- one from Arizona and one from Missouri -- last November.
Wednesday night's drawing was for the fifth-biggest payout, officials said.
U.S. lotteries have been reaching records more often since Powerball raised its ticket prices from $1 to $2 in January 2012. Tickets are sold in 43 states, including New York, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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