ALBUQUERQUE – The rush to buy tickets for Saturday’s Powerball® drawing has pushed the game’s jackpot to $380 million. Before the rush started, the jackpot was $360 million.
New Mexico Lottery CEO David Barden said players are excited and they’re buying tickets, which enriches both the jackpot and the state’s Legislative Lottery Scholarship program.
“A jackpot run up is always a good thing,” Barden said. “It gives players more money to win and it brings good fortune to college students because bigger prizes push up profits for Legislative Lottery Scholarships.”
New Mexico Lottery players have until 8 p.m. MT Saturday to buy tickets for the drawing, which takes place at approximately 8:59 p.m.
Record Jackpots
The record Powerball jackpot is $590.5 million. It was won in May 2013 by a player in Florida.
The largest Powerball jackpot won in New Mexico is $206.9 million. It was won by a pool of nine players from the Roswell area in September 2008.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 175 million. The overall odds of winning a Powerball prize are approximately 1 in 32.
How to Play Powerball
Powerball is played in 47 lotteries. 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 randomly by the lottery’s gaming system. Each wager costs $2.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight prize levels from $4 to $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.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
The New Mexico Lottery has raised $632.9 million for education in New Mexico. More than 97,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships, of which 43,400 students have already earned their college degrees.
More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.