Mike Flannery of Lindenhurst purchases Powerball lottery tickets. (Barry Sloan)

Mike Flannery of Lindenhurst purchases Powerball lottery tickets. (Barry Sloan) Credit: Mike Flannery of Lindenhurst purchases Powerball lottery tickets. (Barry Sloan)

Lottery players got an early Christmas bonus this weekend with a record jackpot.

The top prize in the Powerball lottery will reach a $425 million after no one won Saturday's drawing, extending a two-month winning drought.

The $425 million record jackpot could be raised before Wednesday's drawing since big payouts tend to spur sales, Iowa Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer said.

"We'll watch sales to see if an adjustment upward needs to be made," she said.

The cash payout will be a record $278.3 million.

The previous top Powerball prize was $365 million, won in 2006 by ConAgra slaughterhouse workers in Nebraska. The Powerball lottery is held in 42 states, including New York.

In March, three winning tickets shared the largest U.S. lottery jackpot, the $656 million Mega Millions drawing.

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