ALBUQUERQUE – The nationwide rush to buy tickets for Wednesday’s Powerball® drawing has driven the jackpot from $305 million to $320 million, the game’s fourth largest.
Players have until 8 p.m. MT to buy tickets for Wednesday’s drawing. The drawing takes place at 8:59 p.m. MT.
Powerball is played in 44 lotteries. To play, players choose five numbers from 1 to 59 and one Powerball number from 1 to 35. Players can also ask for a “quick pick,” a set of numbers chosen by the lottery’s gaming system. Each wager costs $2.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight prize levels ranging between $4 and $1 million. The game’s Power Play® option multiples non-jackpot prizes and will double the $1 million prize to $2 million automatically. Power Play costs an additional $1 per play per drawing.
Powerball Records
The game’s record jackpot is $365 million. It was won by co-workers at ConAgra Foods in Nebraska in February 2006.
New Mexico’s record Powerball jackpot is $206.9 million. It was won by a pool of nine players from the Roswell area in September 2008.
While Powerball players in New Mexico have bought approximately $620 million in tickets, they have won $656 million in prizes, including five jackpots and more than 220 prizes ranging between $100,000 and $1 million. So far in 2012, three players have won prizes of $1 million each.
All profits from the sale of New Mexico Lottery games fund an in-state college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $529 million for education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.