Earlier today, the Powerball jackpot increased to $900 million, the largest jackpot in Powerball history, according to Kansas Lottery officials.
The cash option now is $558 million, lottery officials said. The Powerball drawing is tonight.
Odds are 1 in 292 million, and lottery officials have encouraged the public to play responsibly.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, Powerball sales in Kansas had already reached $1.4 million since Wednesday’s drawing, with the busiest sales day anticipated tomorrow. Sales for Wednesday’s drawing were $2.8 million in Kansas, roughly 10 times what would be typical for a Wednesday Powerball drawing with a much smaller jackpot.
If the jackpot were to be won by a single ticket sold in Kansas, and the winner took the cash option of $558 million, he or she would receive a payment of $390.6 million, after the Lottery withheld federal (25 percent) and state (5 percent) income taxes on the prize.