Wednesday’s Powerball® Jackpot Now an Estimated $320 Million

August 15, 2012

Wednesday’s Powerball® Jackpot is the Fourth Largest of All-Time

CHARLESTON, W.VA. –Wednesday’s jackpot is now an estimated $320 million, making it the 4th largest jackpot in Powerball® history.

“We are extremely excited about Wednesday’s large jackpot and would love to see yet another Powerball® jackpot winner right here in West Virginia,” said West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave.

Musgrave said that before Powerball’s redesign in January, many players had been asking for more significant prizes to be available in Powerball, while still having the ability to play for the big, multi-million dollar jackpot. The new prize structure also appears to be fulfilling that request, Musgrave said.

Since the new Powerball® format started with its first draw on January 18 2012, the new game has created 236 American millionaires (of $1 million and $2 million prizes) and has awarded seven jackpots ranging from $60 million to $336 million. Three of those millionaires have been West Virginians. John Robinson of Beckley won $1 million playing Powerball in June, while Michael Shaver and Ronald Simmons of Weston shared $14 million in Powerball winnings in March of this year.

Since getting its start in April 1992 in 15 states with jackpots that started at a guaranteed $2 million, Powerball® has grown into one of the world’s biggest and most recognizable lottery games. Today it’s played in 44 jurisdictions across the nation, with players buying more than $3 billion annually in Powerball® tickets. The biggest jackpot in the game so far was a $365 million prize split by eight co-workers at a Nebraska meat-packing plant in February 2006.

About Powerball®
Powerball® drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information about Powerball® please visit www.powerball.com.

The 44 U.S. lotteries where Powerball® is available are: Arizona Lottery, Arkansas Lottery, Colorado Lottery, Connecticut Lottery Corporation, D.C. Lottery & CGCB, Delaware State Lottery, Florida Lottery, Georgia Lottery Corporation, Hoosier Lottery, Idaho Lottery, Illinois Lottery, Iowa Lottery, Kansas Lottery, Kentucky Lottery Corporation, Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Maine Lottery, Maryland Lott, Massachusetts Lottery, Michigan Lottery, Minnesota State Lottery, Missouri Lottery, Montana Lottery, Nebraska Lottery, New Hampshire Lottery Commission, New Jersey Lottery, New Mexico Lottery Authority, New York Lottery, North Carolina Education Lottery, North Dakota Lottery, Ohio Lottery, Oklahoma Lottery, Oregon Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, Rhode Island Lottery, South Carolina Education Lottery, South Dakota Lottery, Tennessee Education Lottery, Texas Lottery, U.S. Virgin Islands Lottery, Vermont Lottery, Virginia Lottery, Washington Lottery, Wisconsin Lottery and the West Virginia Lottery.
Powerball® is owned by the Multi-State Lottery Association which is a government-benefit, non-profit association owned and operated by 33 member lotteries. MUSL currently coordinates six multi-state games in the United States.
Powerball® and Power Play® are registered trademarks of the Multi-State Lottery Association.

LARGEST POWERBALL® JACKPOTS OF ALL-TIME
(Based on Annuity Value)

1. $365,000,000          Feb. 18, 2006 ConAgra Foods Co-Workers; Lincoln, NE
2. $340,000,000          Oct. 19, 2005 Steve & Carolyn West; Rancho Cucamonga, CA
          Bob & Francis Cheney; Jacksonville, OR
3. $336,400,000          Feb. 11, 2012 Rainbow Sherbert Trust; Newport, RI
4. $320,000,000          WEDNESDAY’S JACKPOT – AUGUST 15, 2012
5. $314,900,000          Dec. 25, 2002 Jack Whittaker-Scott Depot, WV
6. $314,300,000          Aug. 25, 2007 Coterel & Hiles Family; Riverside & Dayton, OH (IN)