The Powerball jackpot continued its record-setting climb after no ticket matched all six numbers in Wednesday’s drawing, pushing the prize to an estimated $1.5 billion annuity, or $686.5 million as a lump-sum cash option, for Saturday night. The jackpot is now the fifth-largest in Powerball history and has been growing since early September. Saturday’s drawing will be the 45th of the current jackpot run, the most ever in a single cycle. Iowa players won 28,677 prizes ranging from $4 to $400 in Wednesday’s drawing. The winning numbers were 25, 33, 53, 62, and 66, with Powerball 17. The Power Play multiplier was 4. An estimated 300,000 Iowans purchased nearly $1.75 million in Powerball tickets for Wednesday’s drawing, with the average purchase of about $6. Lottery officials said most tickets were quick-pick plays and encouraged players to set a budget and play responsibly. Saturday’s drawing is at 9:59 p.m. Central Time (CT), and the ticket purchase cut-off is 8:59 p.m.
