Powerball Jackpot Increased to $550 Million

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave announced today that the Multi-State Lottery Association has increased the estimated Powerball jackpot for Saturday’s drawing to $550 million, due to strong sales across the nation.

The current Powerball jackpot annuity amount now stands $550 million with a $350.1 million cash option.

In addition to the Powerball game, the Mega Millions jackpot currently stands at $190 million for Friday night’s drawing.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions enjoyed their highest jackpots ever last year when Powerball reached $587.5 million and Mega Millions hit $656 million. While large jackpots generate excitement among players, the West Virginia Lottery reminds players to play responsibly and not spend beyond their means.  Players must be 18 years of age or older to purchase Powerball and Mega Millions tickets in West Virginia.

Musgrave says that the two jackpot games have produced eight winning tickets worth $1 million or more that were sold in West Virginia since January of 2012.

About Powerball®
Powerball is played in 45 U.S. lottery jurisdictions. Powerball is a state lottery game facilitate by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a government-benefit, non-profit association owned and operated by 33 member U.S. lotteries. MUSL currently coordinates six multi-state games in the United States. Powerball® drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time, 9:59 p.m. Central Time, 8:59 p.m. Mountain Time and 7:59 p.m. Pacific Time. For more information about Powerball®, please visit www.powerball.com.

Powerball® and Power Play® are registered trademarks of the Multi-State Lottery Association.

About Mega Millions®
Mega Millions is played in 44 jurisdictions (42 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands).  Florida will join the game on May 15.  Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time; 10:00 p.m. Central Time; 9:00 p.m. Mountain Time and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. For more information about Mega Millions, please visit www.megamillions.com.