Powerball Jackpot Grows to $400 Million

Aug. 4, 2013— -- The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $400 million after no ticket matched all six numbers in this weekend's drawing.

The winning numbers in Saturday night's drawing were: 21, 24, 36, 42, 45 and powerball 15.

The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday. It is played in 43 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The multi-state lottery's most recent winner, 84-year-old Gloria C. Mackenzie of Zephyrhills, Fla., took home a whopping $590 million jackpot in June thanks to computer-generated numbers.

"While in line at Publix another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket," she said in a statement at the time, according to Florida lottery officials.

READ MORE About Powerball Record Winner Gloria Mackenzie

Mackenzie opted for the lump sum cash payout of $370.8 million before taxes, instead of 30 annual payments of $19 million, according to lottery spokeswoman Cynthia O'Connell.

Picking the Winning Numbers

As the top prize grows, aspiring millionaires might turn to several strategies to increase their odds of hitting the jackpot.

The odds of picking the winning Powerball ticket might be one in 175.2 million, but that doesn't stop hopefuls from employing their own superstitious tactics in hopes of matching the six lucky numbers.

According to lottery officials and mathematicians, every Powerball ticket has the same chance of winning.

Still, lottery players have cited selection strategies like using the birthdates of loved ones or putting their fortune in the hands of a Quick Pick drawing to be crowned the game's newest multi-millionaire.

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Nearly 80 percent of all ticket buyers let the computer do the picking, and with good reason, and perhaps has a result, the majority of Powerball winners have been people who relied on randomization to ensure their success.

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Some players tempt fate by crossing state borders to purchase a ticket from a so-called luckier location, lining up at gas stations and convenience stores where winning tickets have been drawn in the past.

But even though Indiana may hold the record for the most Powerball jackpots -- coming in at a whopping 38 -- and Pennsylvania, Missouri, Minnesota and Kentucky round out the top five, it's not worth the extra gas.

READ: Powerball Pools: The Do's and Don'ts of Office Buy-Ins

These states have merely been playing the multi-state lottery the longest.

While Californians might despair that no winning ticket has been drawn there, there's always a chance this time around.

Residents were able to buy their first in-state tickets in April after California's lottery commission voted unanimously to join the Powerball game last November.