Powerball Jackpot Jumps To $510 Million, Where To Buy Tickets In North Carolina

For the first time in more than a year, the Powerball jackpot has climbed above half-a-billion dollars. No one hit the jackpot Wednesday, so it soars to $510 million for the Saturday, Aug. 19, drawing. If you want to race out and buy the winning ticket, we’ve got a list of places in North Carolina where you can purchase a Powerball ticket.

Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is the fifth largest jackpot in Powerball history. The cash payout will be an estimated $324.2 million. The winning numbers for Wednesday were: 9-15-43-60-64 and Powerball No. 4.

Each ticket costs $2. Find out where you can buy your Powerball tickets here, via the North Carolina Education Lottery.

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The largest three Powerball jackpots ever are:

• $1.6 Billion — January 2016
• $590.5 Million — February 2013
• $587.5 Million — November 2012

Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time. The record in the game was a $1.6 billion drawing in January 2016, which was won by a group of Tennessee workers. And five months ago, on Feb. 22, a lucky player in Indiana won the $435 million Powerball jackpot, the 10th largest in the game’s history.

Check back on Saturday, August 19, for the winning Powerball numbers.

The Powerball game is played by matching all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball number. The odds of picking the correct Powerball grand prize numbers are one in 292,201,338.

The January 2016 record Powerball jackpot was worth nearly $1.6 billion. The billion-dollar-plus prize won in the Jan. 13, 2016, drawing was the largest lotto jackpot awarded in U.S. history and was split by three winners. In the summer of 2016, a New Hampshire player won a $478 million prize; the June 10 win of $447 million was the eighth largest jackpot in the game’s history.

If you still want to take a chance — someone has to win, right? — you have a better chance of hitting the jackpot if you let the computer pick your numbers. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the Powerball game, says about 75 percent of winning tickets are selected when the numbers are chosen by a computer.

The lottery game is played in 44 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball draws can be seen on hundreds of TV stations nationwide. It may also be available on cable or your mobile device. The draws are also posted on YouTube and on the Powerball site. Where to watch the Powerball drawing on TV.

Claiming, Safeguarding Winnings
So, what should you do if you win the big prize? Many lottery winners hire an attorney, financial planner or both, since most people don’t exactly know what to do when they suddenly come into so much money. Some even bring their lawyer with them to claim their prize. The lottery does not offer any counseling services or advice for winners.

You have two choices when you claim your prize: the full value paid in 30 installments over 29 years, or a one-time lump sum that is smaller than the actual total.

Then there are the taxes. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent. Then, any extra income taxes like state or city would apply.

Financial experts say that if you can get more than a 3 or 4 percent return on an investment, the lump sum is actually the best way to go in the long-term.

Patch Editor Deb Belt contributed to this article.

»Patch file photo

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