Powerball Jackpot Balloons to $475 Million

There was no jackpot winner in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, driving the jackpot up to an estimated $475 million for Saturday.

According to the Kansas Lottery, the cash option for anyone lucky enough to match all numbers will be an estimated $302.4 million. This is the second largest Powerball jackpot in history. The record Powerball jackpot was $567.5 million, reached on November 28, 2012.

Players also have a chance to win a $190 million Mega Millions jackpot in tomorrow night’s drawing. The cash option on the Mega Millions jackpot would be $140.9 million.

The lottery expects sales for both to be brisk. Powerball sales for Wednesday night’s drawing were $1.58 million, four to five times what they might be on a typical Wednesday night. Sales expected to rise substantially for Saturday’s drawing.

The most recent Powerball jackpot winners in Kansas were a Johnson County couple who won $50 million on December 19, 2012. The largest jackpot ever hit in Kansas was one third of a record $656 million Mega Millions jackpot captured by an Ottawa winner who won $218 million on March 30, 2012.

Two other jackpot games are also rolling for the weekend. No player matched all numbers in Hot Lotto, so the jackpot now stands at $6.21 million for Saturday. Hot Lotto jackpots are now paid all in cash, with the initial withholding taxes paid on behalf of the winner! The Super Kansas Cash jackpot for Saturday is an estimated $160,000.