The jackpot for Powerball's Saturday drawing has climbed to $325 million, the fourth-largest in the game's history. A single winner's cash payout would be nearly $213 million before taxes.
Powerball organizers say this is the first run-up to a large jackpot that's fallen over a major holiday. They're unsure whether Thanksgiving and Black Friday will help or hinder sales.
Powerball jackpots have increased more rapidly since the game's organizers doubled the ticket price to $2 in January. An Iowa couple won $202 million in a September 26th drawing and an anonymous winner in Delaware got $50 million prize the next week.
Roxie Breece, assistant manager at a Cenex convenience store in Ogallala, Nebraska, says far more Powerball tickets than usual have been sold over the past week.
