POWERBALL JACKPOT SOARS TO $500 MILLION; TN Lottery Encourages Responsible Play

NASHVILLE – Powerball officials have again increased the jackpot for tonight’s drawing to $500 MILLION – an unbelievable half-a-billion-dollars. Sales are skyrocketing around the country as people join the excitement for a chance to win such an incredible prize. 

“Players are always excited when a jackpot reaches such an incredible amount but remember to play responsibly; it only takes one ticket to win,” said Rebecca Hargrove, CEO and President of the Tennessee Lottery. Also remember to sign your ticket immediately after purchase. Tickets must be purchased today no later than 8:59 p.m. CT/9:59 p.m. ET for tonight’s big drawing. 

Besides the jackpot, there are eight other prize levels that players can win with prizes ranging from $4 up to $2 million. With the TN Lottery Mobile app and in-store ticket checkers, players can easily check their tickets to see if they have won a prize. 

The current jackpot is the fourth largest in Powerball history. The record jackpot for the game was $590.5 million, won in May 2013 by a single player in Florida. Overall odds to win a prize are 1 in 24.9. Odds to win the jackpot are approximately 1 in 292 million. 

Powerball is a popular drawing-style lottery game played in 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Playing Powerball is easy! Just select any five numbers from 1 to 69 and one POWERBALL number from 1 to 26, or choose Quick Pick (QP) and let the computer randomly pick any or all of your numbers. 

Powerball drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday nights. Please note that broadcast times on any of the Lottery’s partner television networks may vary. 

About the Tennessee Education Lottery 

The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation operates entirely from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Since January 20, 2004, the Lottery has raised more than $3.5 billion for designated education programs to fund college grants and scholarships, a variety of after-school programs and the new Tennessee Promise initiative. 

In addition to the educational beneficiaries, players have won more than $8.7 billion in prizes and Lottery retailer partners have earned more than $896 million in retailer commissions. For additional information, visit tnlottery.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Have Fun. Play Responsibly.