Powerball Now at $337 Million; Big Winners Sold in Berks, Jefferson Counties

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Dec. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Before the Powerball® jackpot rolled to a $337 million annuity value for the Wednesday, December 27, drawing, two big winning tickets were sold in Pennsylvania for the Saturday, December 23, drawing.

Two Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball® with Power Play® tickets worth $100,000 each were sold by the following retailers:

• Square One Markets, 71 Industrial Drive, Hamburg, Berks County; and
• Giant Eagle, 40 S. White St., Brookville, Jefferson County.

The tickets matched four of the five white balls drawn, 01-03-13-15-44, and the red Powerball 25. Each retailer will receive a $500 bonus.

Both winning tickets were sold with the $1 Power Play® option, which boosted the prizes to $100,000 instead of $50,000 because the multiplier selected for Saturday's drawing was 2.

Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball winners have one year from the drawing date to claim prizes. Prizes must be claimed and winning tickets validated before winners can be identified. Prizes are paid less applicable tax withholding.

The Lottery encourages the holder of the winning ticket to sign the back of the ticket, call the Lottery at 717-702-8146 and file a claim at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County, or at any of Lottery's seven area offices.

Claims may be filed at headquarters Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at area offices.

More than 76,400 other PA Lottery Powerball tickets won prizes of various amounts in the December 23 drawing, including 15,827 tickets purchased with Power Play that won prizes multiplied by two. Players should check every ticket, every time.

The Powerball jackpot rolled to an estimated annuity value of $337 million, or $210.4 million cash, for the Wednesday, December 27, drawing.

How to play Powerball: Players pay $2 and select five white balls from the first set of 69 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 26 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using a Powerball playslip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win a cash prize.

Purchasing the $1 Power Play option allows a winner to increase lower-tier prizes by a factor of 2, 3, 4 or 5, depending on the Power Play number drawn. The jackpot and the Match 5 prize are not multiplied by this number. The Match 5 prize with the Power Play option is set at $2 million. It is $1 million without Power Play.

About Us: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery to direct all proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since ticket sales began in 1972, it has contributed nearly $28 billion to fund property tax and rent rebates, transportation, care services, prescription assistance, and local services including senior centers and meals. 

Players must be 18 or older. Please play responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) for help with a compulsive gambling problem.

Visit palottery.com for winning numbers, rules, chances of winning, and to join the VIP Players Club for second chances to win. Install our official mobile app, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @PALottery.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lottery Media Relations, 717-702-8008

SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery