Powerball jackpot hits $150M for Saturday’s drawing

The Powerball jackpot has reached $150 million to a single annuity winner for Saturday's drawing. The excitement is spreading across Georgia as Powerball continues to roll.

 The jackpot has grown since Feb. 9 and has rolled eight times.

 Powerball offers two payment options: the $150 million jackpot prize paid over 29 years in 30 graduated payments, or the cash option, which is approximately $95 million.

 Powerball tickets are $2 per play.

 As with all other Georgia Lottery games, proceeds from Powerball will benefit education in the state of Georgia.

 Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has retued more than $14 billion to the state of Georgia for education.

All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia's Pre-K Program.

 More than 1.4 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.2 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary pre kindergarten program.

POWERBALL FAST FACTS

Draw Date: March 9, 2013

Estimated Jackpot Amount: $150 million
Annuity Amount: Jackpot prize paid over 29 years in 30 graduated payments
Cash Option Amount: Approximately $95 million
Cost to Play: $2 per play; an additional $1 per play to add the Power Play multiplier
Drawings: 11 p.m. (ET) every Wednesday and Saturday
Overall Odds of Winning Any Prize: Approximately 1:32
Odds of Winning Jackpot Prize: Approximately 1:175 million
Date Jackpot Began Rolling: Feb. 9, 2013
Number of Rolls: 8
Last Winning Jackpot Ticket: Feb. 6, 2013 – $217 million jackpot (Virginia winner)
#1 Powerball Jackpot: Nov. 28, 2012 – $588 million jackpot (Arizona and Missouri winners)

For more information on the Georgia Lottery Corp. and Powerball, please visit:

www.galottery.com, www.lotterybenefitsgeorgians.com and www.powerball.com