The world's largest lottery jackpot has grown to $1.5 billion because of continuing strong Powerball ticket sales.
The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot in Wednesday's drawing are one in 292.2 million. Forty-four U.S. states participate, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Here's what you need to know:
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A RECORD JACKPOT
The jackpot for the twice-weekly game started at $40 million on Nov. 4 and has been growing ever since. The jackpot estimate is reviewed daily.
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THE PAYOFF: HUGE, EVEN AFTER TAXES
A winner would have the option of being paid $1.5 billion through annual payments over 29 years or opting for one smaller cash payment. But 39.6 per cent of the lump sum would go to federal income taxes.
Plus, most states would take a chunk — something winners in Florida, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming wouldn't have to worry about because those states have no income tax. California, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Tennessee also generally exempt lottery winnings from taxes.
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LUCK OF THE DRAW
Roughly 95 per cent of Powerball tickets are computer-generated picks, so people's favourite numbers aren't really a factor. Officials don't track which numbers are most popular because so many are randomly generated.
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A WORD OF CAUTION
The executive director of the Texas Lottery urged those hoping to hit it big not to spend more than they can afford. "We're very concerned about people playing responsibly and not overspending," Gary Grief said. "It only takes one ticket to win."
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Associated Press Writer Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.