Tennessee joins Powerball on April 19

“Powerball is a proven favorite of Tennesseans who have been anticipating its arrival since a lottery was created in the state,” said Rebecca Paul, CEO and president of the Tennessee Lottery.

For $1, players will select five numbers, each from 1 to 53, plus a sixth number from 1 to 42 the Powerball. The minimum jackpot is $10 million and grows each week until there is a winner, and players also can win eight other prizes. Overall odds of winning are 1 in 36.

The largest Powerball jackpot to date is $314.9 million, won on Christmas Day of 2002 by Jack Whittaker of Scott Depot, W.V. The average jackpot since Powerball began is $33.7 million.

Retailers who sell the winning jackpot tickets earn bonuses of $25,000.

Powerball drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9:59 p.m. Central Time.

Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association, an Urbandale, Iowa-based nonprofit organization owned and operated by 27 member lotteries.

Tennessee’s lottery, which began selling its first scratchoff tickets on Jan. 20, is nearing its goal of raising $88 million to fund scholarships for an estimated 65,000 students expected to attend Tennessee colleges and universities next fall.

———

Tennessee Education Lottery Corp.: http://www.tnlottery.com

Powerball: http://www.powerball.com