THE JACKPOT FOR the multistate Powerball lotto game to be drawn tonight has topped $300 million.
The drawing is scheduled for 7:59 p.m. following a ticket sales cutoff of 7 p.m. The winning numbers will be posted shortly afterward at www.powerball.com .
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, but game officials note that each ticket has an equal chance of winning.
If the jackpot is won by a single ticket-holder, the winner can get the $300 million in a 29-year annuity or take a lump-sum prize estimated at $172.7 million, Powerball officials said.
