Lottery fever gripped the United States on Friday as the Powerball jackpot hit a record $600 million thanks to a coast-to-coast ticket-buying frenzy by wannabe instant millionaires.
In a statement, the Iowa state lottery agency said the jackpot — played in 43 states — now is “the largest in the 21-year history of the game” as well as the second-largest in world lottery history.
“Strong sales across the country are the reason the prize is taking big jumps now,” it said — particularly after Wednesday’s drawing, when the jackpot stood at $363.9 million, failed to come up with a winner.
Indeed, the last time anyone hit the jackpot was March 30.
The fact that Californians since April 7 can play Powerball — a choice of five numbers from a pool of 59, plus a Powerball number from a separate pool of 35 — is also credited with robust sales of the $2 tickets.
The richest US jackpot of all time was $656 million, won in a Mega Millions drawing in March 2012 and split between three tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. Like all US lotteries, the winnings are subject to tax.
US lottery Powerball jackpot nears record
