Powerball Jackpot Soars To $800M: Tickets, How To Play, Drawing Details

The largest Powerball jackpot in history will be up for grabs Saturday, Jan. 9, lottery officials have announced.

The jackpot was boosted to $800 million Friday due to brisk ticket sales, according to Pennsylvania Lottery officials.

That means a lucky winner could walk away with a $496 million cash prize. Click here to find a local retailer.

The jackpot rolled to $675 million after Wednesday night’s drawing. On Thursday, continuing strong ticket sales pushed it to $700 million.

“We are into uncharted territory with this historic jackpot,” said Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “Some have suggested that it could reach $1 billion if it rolls again -- but considering how many tickets are being sold for Saturday, the chances of another jackpot roll seem slim.”

The jackpot has been rolling since the Nov. 4 drawing. Some Pennsylvania players have gotten lucky since then. There was one $2 million winner and two $1 million winners from the Keystone state.

Tickets for the next Powerball drawing will be available until 9:59 p.m. on Saturday, January 9. The televised drawing takes place at 11 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.

If this jackpot is won by a Pennsylvania player, it would become the state’s 20th multi-state jackpot win, local lottery officials said.

The Pennsylvania Lottery has sold 17 jackpot-winning Powerball tickets and two jackpot-winning Mega Millions tickets.

“No matter the jackpot level, we encourage all players to always play responsibly,” Svitko added. “A fun way to do that is to pool your ticket purchases with friends or family members, and we offer Pool Play forms on palottery.com that make it easy to manage your pool.”

How to play Powerball: Players pay $2 and select five white balls from the first set of 69 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 26 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using a Powerball playslip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win a cash prize.

Purchasing the $1 Power Play option allows a winner to increase lower-tier prizes by a factor of 2, 3, 4 or 5, depending on the Power Play number drawn. A 10X multiplier will be available for the Match 4+1 prize and lower prize tiers when the jackpot is at or below $150 million, or when announced. The jackpot and the Match 5 prize are not multiplied. The Match 5 prize with the Power Play option is worth $2 million. It is $1 million without Power Play.