Powerball Winning Numbers Anticipation Causes Powerball Website to Crash

Powerball Winning Numbers Anticipation Causes Powerball Website to Crash
Raj Prasai, right, watches after making a sale to Eric, left, who did not want to give his last name in case he won the Powerball Jackpot, holds what he said would be the winning numbers after making the purchase, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013, in Dallas. The Powerball jackpot is expected to be about $425 million by Wednesday's drawing, making it the game's third largest ever.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Zachary Stieber
8/7/2013
Updated:
6/24/2015

UPDATE: Powerball Winning Numbers Drawn

The Powerball website crashed on Wednesday night as people around the United States waited in anticipation to see if they had the Powerball winning numbers, which would get them the $425 million grand prize. The prize is the third largest ever jackpot in Powerball history.

Though the odds of matching all five white balls plus the Powerball are 1 in 175.2 million, people across the U.S. have spent the last several days buying up scores of tickets. In Omaha, Nebraska, for instance, Amy Joslin says she and her husband always play Powerball when the jackpot climbs over $300 million. That’s happening more often since lottery officials increased ticket prices last year.

Powerball tickets are sold in 43 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The tickets were to be drawn at 10:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, and announced either sometime tonight or tomorrow. 

The prize is paid out over 29 years (30 payments), or as a lump sum, according to MarketWatch. The current cash value of the estimated $425 million jackpot is $244.7 million before withholding.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.