Powerball up to $348 million; drawing tonight

A clerk hands over a Powerball ticket for cash at... — A clerk hands over a Powerball ticket for cash at Tower City Lottery Stop in Cleveland, Jan. 13, 2016. Powerball estimates that its jackpot for the May 4, 2016, drawing is $348 million. Credit: AP

By Gary Dymskigary.dymski@newsday.comMay 4, 2016

With Wednesday night’s Powerball jackpot nearly $350 million, expect longer lines for purchasing tickets.

Once the jackpots in multistate lottery games reach $300 million or more, interest and ticket sales climb significantly, experts say.

Wednesday night’s $348 million jackpot marks the second straight drawing in which the big prize is more than $300 million and the 17th straight without a grand-prize winner.

No one matched Saturday’s numbers 3, 12, 16, 32, 34 and the Powerball of 14, increasing the jackpot from $314 million.

One ticket sold at Kings Pharmacy on Hudson Street in the TriBeCa area of Manhattan matched all five numbers but not the Powerball; that ticket was worth $1 million, lottery officials said.

The lump sum value of Wednesday’s grand prize is $226.1 million.

The $348 million ranks 15th all-time among the largest grand prizes in U.S. lottery history, far behind the $1.586 billion prize split three ways for the Jan. 13 Powerball game.

Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

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