Powerball Jackpot Rises to New Record

The anticipation of a record Powerball jackpot generated a flurry of last-minute ticket sales, pushing the prize to an estimated world record of $119 million. Powerball officials in Des Moines had not announced if anyone had won. As part of the buying frenzy, $37 million worth of tickets were sold in the District of Columbia and the 20 states where Powerball is played. As many as 1,200 tickets were being sold every minute in Iowa, pushing sales past the $1-million mark for the day, said Joe Hrdlicka, spokesman for the Iowa Lottery. Lottery officials estimate the final Powerball total will break the previous $118.8 million world record set in California in 1991. If nobody wins the Saturday drawing, the jackpot could grow to an estimated $150 million for Wednesday’s drawing, Hrdlicka said. The numbers drawn Saturday were 1-22-23-28-41, Powerball 18.