Little Rock, Arkansas – The Powerball and LOTTO jackpots are continuing to grow, giving Arkansas lottery players two sizable prizes to watch as the weekend drawings approach.
The larger of the two is the Powerball jackpot, which has climbed to an estimated $856 million for Saturday night’s drawing. That amount places the current prize among the biggest jackpots ever offered by the game. According to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, the $856 million total ranks as the eighth-highest Powerball jackpot in history.
Every Powerball jackpot ahead of it on the all-time list reached at least $1 billion. That group includes the massive $1.817 billion jackpot won in Arkansas last December, a prize that became one of the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
Two major Arkansas lottery drawings set for Saturday
Powerball drawings take place three times each week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Players hoping to claim the jackpot must correctly match all five regular numbers along with the Powerball number.
A standard Powerball ticket costs $2 for each play. Players can also add the optional Power Play feature for another $1. Power Play does not multiply the jackpot, but it can increase certain non-jackpot prizes by as much as 10 times depending on the multiplier selected for that drawing.
Arkansas players planning to enter Saturday’s Powerball drawing will need to purchase their tickets before sales close at 8:59 p.m. on draw night.
Powerball will not be the only large prize available Saturday. The Arkansas LOTTO jackpot has also increased and currently stands at $2.174 million.
LOTTO drawings are conducted every Wednesday and Saturday at 9 p.m. During each drawing, six regular numbers and one Bonus Number are selected. A player wins the jackpot by matching all six regular winning numbers, regardless of the order in which they appear.
Players who do not match all six numbers may still have a chance to win smaller prizes. Awards are available to tickets matching three or more winning numbers, and the Bonus Number can also play a role in certain prize levels.
Like Powerball, LOTTO tickets cost $2 per play, and sales for Saturday’s drawing will end at 8:59 p.m.
