ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Powerball jackpot has officially reached $1 billion in time for Saturday night's drawing.
This is the sixth Powerball jackpot to reach the billion-dollar mark in the game’s 33-year history, according to the Powerball website . It is also now the sixth-largest jackpot prize in the game's 33-year history.
Saturday’s drawing will be the 39th drawing since the Powerball jackpot was last won in California on May 31.
The cash value of the $1 billion prize, if taken in a lump sum, would be about $453 million.
Lottery officials say the jackpot has driving huge sales. In Florida alone, 7,000 Powerball tickets were being purchased every minute, a Florida Lottery official said Friday.
Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.