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Powerball Grows to $400M But the Odds of Winning Still Slim

<p>Any winner of Wednesday's Powerball drawing could take home as much as $400 million — making this the sixth largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.</p>
Image: A man purchases New York State Lottery tickets for the $400 million Powerball lottery in New York's financial district
A man purchases New York State Lottery tickets for the $400 million Powerball lottery in New York City on Wednesday.Reuters

Can you beat the odds?

The Powerball jackpot has jumped to $400 million after no one hit pay dirt during Saturday’s drawing — making this the sixth largest in U.S. lottery history.

With the next drawing scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, Powerball fever has taken hold across 43 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The winner could choose a lump sum of $227.8 million.

But there’s only a 1-in-175 million shot at matching all six numbers, officials say. And those odds don’t really change if you buy more tickets.

The biggest winner in Powerball history took home $590 million before taxes in a drawing last May.

Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old Florida widow, took nearly three weeks to come forward to claim the cash. Lottery officials revealed that she only snagged the winning ticket at a grocery store after someone let her cut in line.

— Erik Ortiz