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Powerball jackpot soars to $800 million

Posted at 11:56 AM, Jan 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-08 15:57:29-05

RICHMOND, Va. — Powerball is soaring past the record for the biggest jackpot in U.S. history. It hit $800 million on Friday. The previous jackpot record was held by a 2012 MegaMillions game worth $656 million. The current reached $700 million Thursday after nobody won the jackpot on Wednesday night — the 18th drawing without a winner.

The next drawing is on Saturday night.

This jackpot first broke into the top 10 largest jackpots ranking last weekend, when it hit $400 million, and ticket sales have continued to soar.

The current jackpot has been growing since November 7.

Powerball is sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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