If you want the chance to win over a half billion bucks, then be sure to carve out a moment in your day to pick up a Powerball ticket as the jackpot continues to roll with an estimated $550 million jackpot on deck for tonight’s drawing!
We know that Illinois is full of winners and last night’s Mega Millions drawing showed this. One player in Chicago will be waking up with a much bigger bank account after winning a whopping $1 million prize during last night’s draw.
If you’re looking for a way to stay connected with friends and family during these socially-distanced times, you may want to consider a virtual lottery pool.
In the history of Powerball, over 12 family pools have scooped the top prize – who in your family would you want to share half a billion dollars with?
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The top three Powerball family pool wins are:
| Rank | Winners | Prize amount | Date won | Where |
| 1 | Good Karma Family | $559.7 million | January 2018 | New Hampshire |
| 2 | Smith Family | $429.6 million | May 2016 | New Jersey |
| 3 | 292 Family Partnership | $191 million | Octo 2017 | Louisiana |
Or maybe after all those hours on video conferencing, you’d rather split the prize with your workmates? If so, you’d be joining the ranks of at least five work pools that won the Powerball jackpot.
The top three Powerball work pool wins are:
| Rank | Winners | Prize amount | Date won | Where |
| 1 | ConAgra Food Workers | $365 million | February 2006 | Nebraska |
| 2 | 33 Co-workers from Seaford | $214.7 million | October 2004 | Delaware |
| 3 | Monongalia County Tax Office | $276.3 million | March 2008 | West Virginia |
With $1.3 billion to play for across Powerball and Mega Millions, here are five simple tips for setting up a virtual Lottery pool:
- Designate a group leader who is responsible for the lottery pool management
- Choose a fun team name
- Make copies of the purchased tickets for each member in your group
- Manage your members with our Illinois Lottery Pool Sign-up Sheet
- Keep accurate records for each drawing and be sure to include the amount of money collected, number of tickets purchased, numbers selected on each ticket, and a record of winnings and prize distribution.
For more information on group play, please visit Group Play 101 on the Illinois Lottery website.
The next Powerball drawing is tonight, Wednesday, January 13, at 9:59 p.m. CT with an estimated $550 million jackpot. The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday, January 15 at 10 p.m. CT with an estimated $750 million jackpot.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play. To play Powerball, players select five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Players win by matching the five numbers (1-69) and the Power Ball number (1-26). The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are approximately 1-in-24.87.
It’s never been easier for Illinois residents 18 years of age or older to get in on the fun and purchase their Illinois Lottery ticket with multiple ways to play. Tickets can be purchased in-store, online, and on the Illinois Lottery’s mobile app.
