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Austin - Gamblers betting on the multi-state Powerball lottery this week could win one of the biggest jackpots in the game's history, as the total climbed to $485m on Tuesday, the Powerball website showed.
The third-largest jackpot in the game's history, at stake for Wednesday's drawing with a $327.7m cash payout, comes after nearly three months of no jackpot winners.
The last time someone won the jackpot was in the November 29 drawing for $90m, a Washington woman who bought her first-ever lottery tickets on a whim on Thanksgiving Day.
Powerball jackpots start at $40m and grow until at least one player comes up with the winning numbers at a twice-weekly draw. The next drawing will take place on Wednesday evening.
The jackpot winners receive either payments over 29 years or a smaller cash lump sum.
The biggest Powerball jackpot awarded by the Multi-State Lottery Association was $590.5m and went to the holder of a single winning ticket in 2013. The association also operates the Mega Millions jackpot, which awarded a top prize of $656m three years ago.
Game drawings for Powerball, played in 44 US states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands, are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 22:59 in Tallahassee, Florida.
Powerball sales reached nearly $5bn last year for game tickets that are sold through more than 210 000 lottery terminals. Each ticket costs $2. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 175 million.
