Powerball fans, your twice-weekly attempt at financial immortality just cracked the quarter-billion dollar mark.
And if you haven't already plunked down your cash for tonight's big drawing, you might consider these three "lucky" locations to get some tickets.
According to the Arizona Lottery, these businesses rank as the top three spots in the Tucson area for Powerball winnings this year:
• Annie's, 4500 N. Oracle Road: This kiosk inside the Tucson Mall sold a $1 million ticket in May.
• Super Stop, 6225 W. Ajo Highway: About $300,000 in winning Powerball tickets have been sold there since April.
• Fry's, 7050 E. 22nd Street: Has sold $150,000 in winning tickets since March.
Officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association estimate tonight's Powerball jackpot will exceed $250 million. That would be the highest since a $276.3 million jackpot was won in March 2008 in West Virginia.
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What does that mean for Tucsonans looking to buy tickets today?
"Come early," suggests Marketa Anderson, assistant manager of the Circle K at 3031 E. 22nd St. "We've already sold a lot (on Tuesday)."
Winning the $250 million jackpot would mean getting $8.3 million annually for 30 years, if the winner chose the annuity.
"I checked on that, and that comes out to $951 an hour," for every hour of that 30 years, Arizona Lottery executive director Jeff Hatch-Miller said.
The cash option is estimated to be $124.8 million.
RECENT WINNERS AND THE ODDS
Did you know
Arizona was the 17th state to take part in Powerball when it signed up on April 4, 1994. The drawing now covers 31 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with Florida the most recent to join the Multi-State Lottery Association on Jan. 7.
Notable winners
• Top 2009 jackpot: $232.1 million, won May 27 by Neal Wanless in South Dakota.
• Biggest jackpot ever: $365 million, won Feb. 18, 2006, by eight co-workers at a Con Agra Foods plant in Lincoln, Neb.
• Last Arizona jackpot winner: $15 million, won Jan. 27, 2007, by Barbara and Barry Salzman.
• Last local $1 million winner: Rocco Mancuso Sr., who got five numbers on May 27. That normally pays $200,000, but Mancuso paid an extra dollar for the Power Play option that, in this case, multiplied his prize by five.
So you think you're lucky …
Number correct Prize Odds
5 plus Powerball Jackpot 1:195,249,054
5 $200,000 1:5,138,133
4 plus Powerball $10,000 1:723,144
4 $100 1:19,030
3 plus Powerball $100 1:13,644
3 $7 1:359
2 plus Powerball $7 1:787
1 plus Powerball $4 1:123
Powerball only $3 1:61
The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 35.
SOURCE: www.powerball.com
