The Powerball® jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is $275 million,
ranking it as the seventh largest jackpot in Powerball history. The jackpot’s
cash option is an estimated $135.7 million.
The current jackpot run-up began Jan. 17 at $15 million and has grown to $275 million
through 16 consecutive draws. If the jackpot is not hit on Saturday, it will
roll to an estimated $325 million.
The game’s largest jackpot was $365 million. Co-workers at ConAgra Foods in
Nebraska claimed the prize on Feb. 18, 2006.
Powerball is played in 31 lotteries, including New Mexico. To play Powerball,
players choose five numbers from one to 55 and one Powerball number from one to
42. Players can also ask for a “Quick Pick” set of numbers. Each play
costs $1.
Other game features include Power Play®, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes
two, three, four or five times, depending on the Power Play number drawn.
Power Play costs an additional $1 per play per draw. Players can also place
wagers for up to ten advance drawings in a row.
Powerball tickets can be purchased at 1,100 New Mexico Lottery retailers statewide.
Tickets can be bought until 8 p.m. MT for that night’s drawing. Drawings take
place on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:59 p.m. MT. KOB TV 4 broadcasts all
Powerball and Hot Lotto® drawings live at 8:59 p.m. MT.
In addition to the jackpot, there are eight ways to win playing Powerball.
Non-jackpot prizes range from $3 to $200,000. Players holding prize-winning
tickets are advised to sign the backs of their tickets before presenting them to
retailers or the New Mexico Lottery to claim prizes.
Information on how to play Powerball is available at
www.nmlottery.com.
Since Powerball was launched in the state in October 1996, the New Mexico Lottery
has sold tickets for four multi-million jackpots. On Nov. 30, 2000, a group
of 14 Sandia National Laboratory employees claimed a $131 million Powerball jackpot.
On Feb. 22, 2002, Isabell Delgado of Las Cruces claimed a Powerball jackpot of $32
million. John San Cartier, an airman from Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque,
claimed a Powerball prize of $93.4 million on Aug. 19, 2005. Felipe Piña of
Los Ojos claimed $62.8 million on May 30, 2007.
$344 Million Raised for Education
Since its inception in 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $344 million for
public education in New Mexico and more than 48,000 students have received Legislative
Lottery Scholarships.
