DES MOINES, IOWA -- The record Powerball jackpot just keeps rising. It now stands at $550 million after officials say brisk sales keep driving up the payout amount.
The jackpot was boosted to $500 million on Tuesday and raised again Wednesday morning to $550 million. A winner taking the cash option would get $360.2 million before taxes.
The numbers are an estimate and could be increased again as the drawing nears.
Powerball officials say they now believe there is a 75 percent chance that the winning combination of numbers will be drawn Wednesday night.
The jackpot is the largest ever for the Powerball game and the second largest lottery jackpot of all time, eclipsed only by the $656 million Mega Millions record set in March.
Tickets for the drawing will remain on sale until 9pm Wednesday night.
A 7-time lottery winner from Orlando revealed some of his tips for winning big. The Huffington Post reports that four of his rules are: pick your own numbers; use the same numbers each time; avoid sequences that have been picked before; and buy lots of tickets.
