Players around world are waiting for the numbers to be drawn in the $170 million Powerball drawing, which takes place tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.

Some facts about tonight's drawing:

• $170 million jackpot would rank as the 8th largest Powerball jackpot ever.
• It would also rank as the 14th largest lottery jackpot ever.
• This is the largest current lottery jackpot in the world.
• The estimated cash option is $90.4 million.
• The draw on Wednesday night will be the 15th draw of this jackpot run.  The run started on St. Patrick's Day (March 17, 2004).
• There have been no jackpot winners, but more than 6.6 million players have won almost $51 million in cash prizes since this run started.
• This is the 4th time in the last 10 months that the jackpot has reached the $170 million mark.
• Based on sales for this draw, statistically 29.1% of the possible number combinations will be purchased.
• The Powerball draw takes place in West Des Moines, IA at 9:59 P.M. Central time.

Sales & State Benefit Information

• Sales for this jackpot run (through 05/01/2004) total $266,723,741.
• This jackpot run has generated a total of more than $80 million for worthwhile state projects.
• More than 41.1 million Powerball tickets will be sold for for Wednesday's draw.
• Powerball tickets are currently selling at a rate of 16,700 per minute.
• The lotteries sold more than $2 billion in Powerball tickets in 2003.  That translates into more than $600 million for worthwhile state projects.
• Lottery proceeds fund a variety of state projects.

Powerball Odds & Game Information

• The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 120 million.
• The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 36.
• You need to pick 5 of 53 white balls and 1 of 42 Powerballs.
• Annuities are paid out in 30 payments over 29 years.
• Before taxes, that would be $5.66 million dollars a payment.
• Powerball is played in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (28 total lotteries)

Powerball History

• Powerball sales began in April 1992.
• Since then, the jackpot has been hit 153 times by 180 winners (tickets) and has paid out jackpot prizes (both annuity and lump sum cash) totaling $5,268,921,111.
• Powerball has paid out $2,990,540,429 in other non-jackpot cash prizes.  There have been 7,853 winners of the $100,000 prize and a total of 402,027,004 winners at all prize levels.
• The biggest Powerball jackpot ever was won on Christmas Day 2002.  The $314.9 million jackpot is the largest jackpot ever won by a single ticket.