The Powerball® jackpot is now at an epic $670 million – giving Illinois residents plenty of reasons to head to their local store to grab a ticket for tonight’s draw.
If won tonight, it will be the sixth largest jackpot in Powerball game history and the eighth largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
One Illinois Lottery player is on cloud nine after winning $50,000 following Saturday night’s Powerball draw. The lucky winner, who bought their ticket at Ave Maria Gas at Orland Park, is now the 25th Illinois player who has won $50,000 with Powerball in the past four months.
As the Powerball jackpot continues to grow, so do players’ dreams of winning big. The Illinois Lottery caught up with a few dreamers at the Lucky Mart store in Chicago’s Ashburn neighborhood and asked them what they would do if they won the big jackpot.
“If I won, I would first pass out,” laughed Sunria McKinney of Chicago. “Then I would throw a big party and celebrate with my dog Fendi, the family and everybody – we’re going to have so much fun, I cannot wait.”
Cedric Escobar, another Chicago Lottery player exclaimed, “If I won the big jackpot, what couldn’t I do!”
For Nicole Douglas of Evergreen Park, it would be a family vacation to the Aloha state. “It is my mom’s wish before she leaves this earth to go to Hawaii, so that would be a dream to be able to take her there.”
With the Powerball reaching $670 million for tonight’s draw, players across Illinois are flocking to their local lottery stores to snatch up a ticket.
Powerball tickets are $2 each, and players have the option to add the Powerplay for an additional $1 for the chance to multiply non-jackpot prizes.
Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday with the next prize draw taking place on Monday, October 4, at 9:59 p.m. (CT).
It’s never been easier for residents 18 and over to play as Illinois Lottery draw-based game tickets can be purchased online, in-store and on the Illinois Lottery app. Visit IllinoisLottery.com for more information.
To download b-roll and player soundbites, please click here.
###
About the Illinois Lottery:
The Illinois Lottery has contributed over $22 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes like Illinois Veterans services, the fight against breast cancer, MS and Alzheimer’s research, Special Olympics, police memorials and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. For more information visit illinoislottery.com.