Community Corner

Powerball Winning Numbers: Wednesday, May 3 | UPDATE

Got your lottery ticket? The winning numbers are worth $130 million.

Wednesday's Powerball drawing has an estimated jackpot of $130 million. This Powerball jackpot is still a fraction compared to the record-setting $1.6 billion prize paid in January or February's $435 million winner in Indiana. But it's a nice chunk of change.

The lump-sum cash payout for Wednesday's Powerball drawing is estimated at $80.1 million.

What time is the Powerball drawing? Numbers are drawn at 9:59 p.m. Central time.

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Wednesday's winning numbers are 17-18-49-59-66. The Powerball is 9 and the multiplier is 2.

You have a better chance of hitting the jackpot if you let the computer pick your numbers. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the Powerball game, says about 75 percent of winning tickets are selected when the numbers are chosen by a computer.

Plays cost $2 each, and Illinois residents can buy tickets online at illinoislottery.com, at almost 8,000 retailers in the state or by using the free Illinois Lottery’s mobile app. The overall odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292,201,338, the Illinois Lottery reports.

Find out what's happening in Forest Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday. Powerball is played in Illinois, 43 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Players pick five numbers from one to 69 and a sixth, red Powerball number, one through 26. Many people choose a Quick Pick ticket for random numbers. There are different levels of payouts, but to win the jackpot, tickets must match all five numbers plus the Powerball.

When you claim your prize, you may collect the full value paid in 30 installments over 29 years or a one-time lump sum that is smaller than the actual total. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent.
Winning tickets must be redeemed in the state where purchased regardless of where the winner lives.


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