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$600 Million Lottery Fever Grips US


Powerball tickets on sale in Lincoln, Neb., May 17, 2013
Powerball tickets on sale in Lincoln, Neb., May 17, 2013
The United States is in the grip of Powerball fever.

The jackpot for Saturday's multi-state lottery has grown to $600 million for a single winning ticket. With millions of tickets being sold each hour at $2 each, Powerball officials say the jackpot is likely go even higher before the numbers are drawn.

Winners must match five numbers and a special Powerball to claim the entire prize.

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 175 million.

The largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history was a $656 million prize split among three winners last year.

The world's biggest lottery has been Spain's El Gordo, which divided $3 billion among thousands of winners last year.
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