The New York Lottery today announced that afternoon hourly sales have climbed to $ 3.3 million per hour for tonight’s record breaking Powerball drawing with the jackpot now at $900 million.

Statewide Powerball sales have climbed steadily throughout the afternoon:

12:oo noon - $2.1 million per hour

1:00 p.m. - $2.4 million per hour                                                                                                                    

2:00 p.m.  - $2.6 million per hour

3:00 p.m. - $2.9 million per hour

4:00 p.m. - $3.3 million per hour

“This history making Powerball jackpot has skyrocketed sales statewide to $49.4 million as of 4:00 p.m. this afternoon,” said Gardner Gurney, Director of the Division of the Lottery. “At this level of sales, we will have thousands of winners in New York at various prize levels. Sales for tonight’s drawing end at 10 p.m., so we urge New Yorkers to get their tickets early and get in on the excitement of a $900 million dollar jackpot,” Gurney said.

Tonight’s drawing is the largest Powerball jackpot ever and also the largest jackpot prize of any lottery game in U.S. history. No one matched all six numbers for Wednesday's $528.5 million drawing causing the jackpot to roll to $900 million or $558 million in a lump sum. This Powerball jackpot began on November 7, 2015 at $40 million and has rolled over 19 times leading up to tonight’s $900 million dollar jackpot.

Since this Powerball jackpot began on November 7, New Yorkers buying Powerball tickets have contributed more than $44 million in aid to education.

Lottery officials remind players that they could be a winner even if they don’t win the jackpot prize. The second place prize is $1 million dollars for matching the first five numbers or $2 million if they paid an extra dollar for the Power Play feature when they bought their ticket.

Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot of $528.5 million produced over 605,144 winning tickets in New York State. If no one matches all five numbers plus the Powerball for tonight’s drawing, the jackpot will continue to grow. Tickets cost $2 per game and can be purchased until 10:00 p.m. EST.

Powerball is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The largest

Powerball jackpot to date was $590.5 million, won in Florida in May 2013.

The New York Lottery urges players to sign your ticket(s) upon receipt and to keep all Lottery tickets in a safe, secure place until coming in to claim. Winners have one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes.

Players may claim tickets at any of the Lottery’s Customer Service Centers statewide including:

NEW YORK CITY CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

15 Beaver Street (between Broadway and Broad Street, corner of New Street) (two blocks South of Wall Street) (one block South of the Bull on Broadway) (ground level) New York, NY 10004 (212) 383-1317

LONG ISLAND CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

45 South Service Road Plainview, New York 11803 (516) 222-8224

HUDSON VALLEY CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

18 Westage Business Center Hudson Valley Towne Center Suite 6 Fishkill, NY 12524 (845) 897-5028

CAPITAL REGION/ADIRONDACK CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

One Broadway Center PO Box 7500

Schenectady, NY 12305 (518) 388-3300

SYRACUSE/CENTRAL NEW YORK CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

620 Erie Blvd. West Syracuse, NY 13204 (315)-448-4314

BUFFALO/WESTERN NEW YORK CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

165 Genesee Street Buffalo, NY 14203 (716) 847-3480

Note: National media inquiries regarding Powerball should be directed to Kelly Cripe, Media Relations Director at the Texas Lottery: kelly.cripe@lottery.state.tx.us or at 512-344-5131.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.11 billion in fiscal year 2014-2015 to help support education in New York State.  The Lottery’s contribution represents 14 percent of total state education aid to local school districts. 

New York Lottery revenue is distributed to local school districts by the same statutory formula used to distribute other state aid to education.  It takes into account both a school district’s size and its income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive proportionately larger shares of Lottery school funding.