The Powerball jackpot for Saturday’s lottery drawing has jumped to an estimated $169 million with a cash option of $116.1 million.
The winning numbers were: 5, 11, 51, 56, 61. Powerball: 2. Power Play 2X.
While no one across the county hit Wednesday’s $154.9 million jackpot, a second-prize ticket bought in Virginia matched five numbers but not the Powerball and is worth $1 million.
In New Jersey, a pair of third-prize tickets were bought. Each $50,000 winner matched four numbers plus the Powerball. They were sold at 7-Eleven on Main Street in Manasquan and Cepeda Grocery & Deli on River Street in Paterson, lottery officials said.
Wednesday’s winning numbers were: 17, 18, 37, 44 and 53. The Power Ball drawn was 18 with a Megaplier of 3x.
The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are 292,201,388 to 1. A player who buys a $2 ticket has about a 1 in 11,688,053 chance to match five numbers and win at least $1 million, while the odds are 913,129 to 1 of winning the third prize of at least $50,000.
Powerball is played on Wednesday and Saturday in 45 states, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The New Jersey Lottery office in Lawrence is open by appointment only. You can still claim your winnings — provided they’re less than $599.50 — in person at any retailer.
The lottery is also accepting mailed claims, though officials warn payments might be temporarily delayed. Winners are advised to make copies of the claim form and the winning ticket for their records.
