Winning Powerball Numbers, Wed. Jan. 17, 2018

Powerball is at it again, and on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018 the jackpot has been set to $62 million, with a $38.5 million cash value, according to the national Lottery association that runs the game. And while that might not be huge by Powerball standings, it's still enough to buy a fairly decent home by the beach in Orange County.

There were no tickets sold with all six numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the multi-state Powerball lottery and the estimated jackpot for Saturday's drawing is expected to grow to $78 million.

A ticket with five numbers, but missing the Powerball number, was sold in New York and is worth $1 million, the Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game, announced.

A Match 5 Winners Power Play ticket was sold in Puerto Rico and is worth $2 million.

The numbers drawn Wednesday were 3, 33, 37, 51, 57 and the Powerball number was 21. The estimated jackpot was $62 million.

The drawing was the third since the last time a ticket with all six numbers was sold.

The record in the Powerball jackpot was a $1.6 billion drawing in January 2016, which was won by a couple from Tennessee. In California, the Powerball prize amounts are pari-mutuel, will vary depending on ticket sales and number of winners and will differ from the fixed prizes shown on the Powerball website.

Mega Millions is being redesigned to bring more value to its players with larger starting jackpots and faster rolls. Starting jackpots will more than double from $15 million to $40 million, and jackpots will grow faster overall.

There will be better odds to win $1 million prizes and higher secondary prizes. The ticket price will also change, moving from $1 to $2.

In the redesigned game, players select five numbers from 1 to 70, and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25. Players will have a 1 in 24 overall chance of winning a prize.
Players may add the Megaplier option for an extra $1 per play to increase non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times. The enriched Mega Millions game will debut on Oct. 28.
Mega Millions President Debbie D. Alford said that lotteries are responding to consumers with the latest changes.

"We have a demand for innovation to keep fresh, entertaining lottery games and to deliver the attention-grabbing jackpots," said Alford in a statement. "We're excited to deliver the opportunity to create more millionaires and also provide more opportunities to raise additional revenues for the respected causes lotteries benefit."

About Mega Millions

Mega Millions is one of the world's biggest lottery games. Introduced as The Big Game in August 1996 with six member states, the game grew, becoming Mega Millions in May 2002. Mega Millions is currently offered by 46 lotteries. Minnesota began offering Mega Millions in January 2010.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 p.m. central time. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was a $656 million prize split by three winners in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland in 2012, according to a news release.

Ashley Ludwig, Patch Staff Photo