OMAHA — Lottery officials say the estimated $1.3 billion prize for Wednesday's Powerball drawing is largest jackpot ever in the world.
No one matched all six Powerball numbers Saturday night, leading to the astronomical prize, which is all but certain to grow before the next drawing Wednesday as more people buy tickets, said Kelly Cripe with the Texas Lottery.
The odds to win are one in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball. Cripe said 75 percent of all 292.2 million combinations were bought before Saturday's drawing.
The jackpot has ballooned since its Nov. 4 starting point of $40 million.
The winning numbers — 16-19-32-34-57 and Powerball number of 13 — did gain some people a little wealth: 25 tickets won $1 million by matching five numbers, and three other tickets won $2 million because they paid extra to multiply smaller prizes.
The record jackpot lured an unprecedented frenzy of purchases. Anndrea Smith, 30, said Saturday that she already had spent more than she usually does on Powerball tickets.
"I bought four yesterday, and I usually never buy any," said Smith, manager of Bucky's gas station and convenience store in Omaha, Nebraska.
Powerball is played in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. .