Powerball Jackpot Climbs to $320 million

The US Powerball is currently whipping lottery players across America into a frenzy of excitement; as yet another jackpot rollover puts the estimated jackpot for Saturday’s draw at a whopping $320 million. The Powerball has been rolling over since just 6th February 2013, which is no time at all to have generated such an amazing top prize. However, the Powerball is known for its immense jackpots – generated due to the sheer amount of players across the US who actively play and the pari-mutuel nature of the prizes.

The Powerball is currently played in 44 states and regions across America, and is still growing. California is due to join the game in early April 2013, which will bring a pool of another 38 million potential players into the mix. It is estimated that 57% of all 315 million American’s regularly play a lottery, but when the jackpots reach these kinds of levels all sorts of people buy tickets who wouldn’t usually, just to be in with that chance. This then jacks up the top prize even more, hence whey the estimations change so regularly.

Much is usually made of the fact that lotteries have such high odds that chances of winning are so remote playing is “pointless” and a “waste of money”. On the Powerball, for example, the odds of winning the jackpot by matching all five from 59, plus the Powerball from a second pool of 35 are 1 in 175,223,510, and the odds of winning a $1 million prize by matching five numbers are 1 in 5,153,632. The odds of being killed by a lightning strike are a comparatively low 1 in 3,000,000.

However, according to the NASPL, only 91 people in the US were killed by a lightning strike in 1996, and in the same year, 1,136 players won $1 million or more on American lotteries. Suddenly, those ridiculous odds don’t look so unobtainable anymore.

So, if you are expert at dodging lightning strikes and want to try your hand at winning the biggest Powerball jackpot seen so far this year, then head across to our Powerball page, where you can find details of how to play – even if you don’t live in the US or a US state participating in the Powerball. Good luck, and don’t forget to wear rubber soled shoes!