Powerball Jackpot Grows To $181 Million


Saturday night’s Powerball jackpot has grown to $181 million, according the New Jersey Star-Ledger. The jackpot was left unclaimed after no one matched the winning numbers Wednesday.

The winning numbers for Wednesday were 3, 16, 48, 56 and 58 with a Powerball of 4. Saturday’s drawing will have a cash value of $123 million.

A ticket sold in New Jersey matched four numbers and the Powerball for $10,000.

Tickets that matched five numbers but not the Powerball were sold in South Carolina, New York, Louisiana, Colorado and Illinois. Those winners will receive $1 million, minus taxes.

The last time a Powerball jackpot was hit was June 23, when a couple from Seymour, Conn. won $60 million. Noel Peel bought the winning ticket while waiting for breakfast at a deli. He let the ticket sit for days before finally checking it. Peel checked the ticket at the deli’s lottery machine and saw that his numbers were winners, but didn’t know how much he had won.

Peel said,

“I didn’t know what it meant, meaning ‘am I just a winner in general? Honestly, I walked out and thought it was just a glitch.”

Peel said he and his wife, Fredda, couldn’t believe it when they took the ticket to the Lottery headquarters and found out how much they won. The couple planned to fix their roof and buy a new car with their winnings, in addition to paying for their children’s education and donating some of the money to charity.

Just a week ago, the Powerball jackpot was $139 million.

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 31.85, according to the Powerball website. The odds of matching all five numbers plus the Powerball are 1 in 175,223,510.00, and the odds of matching five numbers without the Powerball for $1 million are t 1 in 5,153,632.65.

What would you do if you won the $181 million Powerball jackpot?

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