For Immediate Release:                                      Contact:  Communications Office

February 19, 2014                                                                (518) 388-3415

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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The New York Lottery today announced that sales are brisk for tonight’s Powerball drawing with the jackpot now at $400 million.

“New York State had Powerball sales of $450,000 an hour at noon today. That’s a sizeable increase from $300,000 an hour at 9:00 a.m.,” said Gardner Gurney, Acting Director of the Division of the Lottery. “We expect sales will continue to increase throughout the day topping off between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. tonight as we approach the close of sales at 9:00 p.m.”

Tonight’s drawing will be the fourth-biggest Powerball jackpot and sixth-highest lottery prize nationwide. No one matched all six numbers for Saturday's $330.8 million drawing causing the jackpot to roll to $400 million or $227.8 million in a lump sum.

“With the Powerball jackpot at $400 million and the Mega Millions jackpot at $172 million, we hope to see even more New Yorker winners across the state,” Gurney said.

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

Saturday’s Powerball jackpot of $330.8 million produced over 117,000 winning tickets in New York State. The largest was a $1 million dollar second prize sold in Manhattan at Khandaker Newsstand at 50 Fulton Street. There were also nine $10,000 winners.

If no one matches all five numbers plus the Powerball for tonight’s drawing, the jackpot will continue to grow. Tickets can be purchased until 9:00 p.m. EST.

Powerball is played in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The largest

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

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.04 billion in fiscal year 2012-2013 to help support education in New York State.  The Lottery’s contribution represents 15 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.

About the New York State Gaming Commission

The New York State Gaming Commission regulates all aspects of gaming and gambling activity in the state, including horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, class III Indian gaming, video lottery terminal facilities at race tracks, the state lottery and charitable gaming.