NORFOLK, Va. - Halloween night could be filled with more treats than just candy as the Powerball jackpot has now hit $1 billion.
According to the Lottery, this is the second time in Powerball’s 30-year history that the advertised jackpot has been this large.
"If a player wins Monday’s jackpot, it will be the second largest jackpot in Powerball history, only behind the world record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot, and fifth largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history," the Lottery reports.
John Hagerty with the Virginia Lottery said they see the greatest number of sales on the day of the drawing. In fact, he said it's expected that $5.7 million worth of Powerball tickets will be sold in Virginia alone on Monday.
"There will be times today, for example the evening rush, when people are going home from work that we expect to be selling more than 5,700 tickets per minute in Virginia," said Hagerty.
The drawing will be broadcast live on Monday night, but you can still check your numbers after-the-fact.
"Just because you didn't hit the jackpot, just because you didn't match all six numbers - don't throw that ticket away, you might have won a lesser prize and by lesser, it could be a million dollars even," said Hagerty. "It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and maybe get out of hand with it, but we encourage you not to do that. Have fun with it, but play responsibly. Don't go overboard."
If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
