Powerball lotto jackpot tonight tops a cool quarter-billion

Published 11:37 am Wednesday, March 20, 2013

THE JACKPOT FOR the multistate Powerball lotto game to be drawn tonight has exceeded a quarter-billion dollars.

Tonight’s estimated jackpot is $260 million. The drawing is scheduled for 7:59 p.m. following a ticket sales cutoff of 7 p.m.

The game is played in Washington state and 42 other states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To win, a $2 ticket must match five numbers in any order plus a sixth specific Powerball number. The odds of winning are 1 in 175 million.

If the jackpot is won by a single ticket-holder, the winner can get the $260 million in a 29-year annuity or take a lump-sum prize estimated at $161.1 million, Powerball officials said.