In just a few hours, some lucky person might be half a billion dollars richer.
The Powerball lottery drawing takes place Wednesday night at 9:59 p.m. Central Time. To find your nearest Illinois lottery retailer, click here.
Each Powerball ticket cost $2. Players choose five numbers plus a sixth Powerball number. Players matching all six numbers can select an annuitized amount paid out over 29 years or a lump sum payment. For complete details, visit the Powerball website.
ABC News reports lottery officials expect to sell more than 105,000 tickets every minute before the drawing. Despite the long odds for the big jackpot, the overall odds of winning a prize are considerably better at 1 in 55.
Since the last drawing on Nov. 24, the Powerball jackpot has grown by over $100 million to a record $550 million. The estimated cash payout is $360.2 million. The last set of winning numbers was drawn on Oct. 16.
What would you do with $550 million? Let us know in the comments.
I mean the same thing SO many others will do. And with this amount of money, it's obsene to most of us. Pay off all debt, all our parents debt. Make sure we are comfortable. Take care of my closest friends, be generous. Go on vacations with friends, spoil a friend. Since we won't work a 9-5 job anymore, donate our time and money to good charities. TRAVEL for sure. Places on our bucket list, but to see family and friends all over the country who can't afford to travel.