Big Jackpot Looms As Lottery Fever Heats Up

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)- The Power Ball jackpot is expected to be $415 million this weekend and Idaho Lottery officials are preparing for another record win.

In January the jackpot reached a world record $1.596 billion and Idaho officials say it could happen again. The Idaho Lottery has told retailers across the state to expect more foot traffic because of the higher estimated jackpot. At the same time the Mega Millions draw may pull in even more traffic. The Mega Millions is estimated at $138 million.

But, as always lottery officials are reminding people to use a level head “As is usually the case when jackpots get huge, player interest grows,” said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director.  “We’re taking measures to prepare our retailers, but we also want to remind our players to only play what they can afford, not go overboard. It does only take one ticket to win.”

Even though no one won the big jackpot in Wednesday night’s draw, people did win a combined $54,711 in prizes. Players have until 7:55 p.m. MT on Saturday evening to purchase a ticket to participate in this Powerball draw.

The Idaho Lottery also recommends players sign the back of their tickets and keep them in a safe place until claiming their prize.