Having started out as Lotto*America in 1988, Powerball was conceived in 1992, with tickets going on sale in 15 states and jurisdictions on Sunday 19th April ahead of the inaugural draw on Tuesday 21st. Players were required to select five numbers from a pool of 1 to 45 and a Powerball from a separate pool of the same size; there was a guaranteed jackpot of $2 million on offer.
Of course, Powerball has since evolved into one of the biggest lottery games in the world, regularly offering jackpots in excess of $100 million. The game expanded its ball pool to 1 to 69 and 1 to 26 for the Powerball in October 2015, while the number of participating states and jurisdictions also increased, with Wyoming and Puerto Rico becoming the 46th and 47th members of the Powerball family in 2014.
Powerball has witnessed its fair share of winners over the years, with an astonishing 359 players landing themselves a multimillion-dollar jackpot prize. The game reached new heights in January 2016 when the jackpot reached an incredible $1.586 billion, the biggest prize in lottery history. The sizeable sum was eventually won on Wednesday 13th January, when three ticket holders successfully matched all five numbers and the Powerball to each walk away with a $528.8 million share.
To celebrate Powerball’s 25th anniversary, a number of state lotteries offered players the chance to win tickets as a thank you for their years of participation. In the lead up to Saturday’s draw, ticket holders in Indiana were given the opportunity to land a random number of free tickets, while Kansas players were treated to a “$100,000 Blowout” on free tickets. There were also events in Missouri, where players spending more than $10 on Powerball tickets received a free Lucky For Life ticket.
If you would like to join in this weekend’s celebrations when the jackpot will be an estimated $90 million, you can pick your Powerball numbers online or play via any authorised retailer in participating states and jurisdictions. Good luck!
