BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô With the Powerball jackpot increasing to an estimated $450,000,000 for Wednesday night's draw, the Idaho Lottery is encouraging everybody to play responsibly.

"When there is this much excitement for a draw, we want to remind everyone to only play what they can afford, not to go overboard," said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. "It only takes one ticket to win."

"A huge part of the entertainment value comes from imagining what you could do if you won this jackpot," said Anderson. "Playing a couple of dollars for the chance to win certainly brings a lot enjoyment for players."

In addition, the Mega Millions jackpot for this evening's draw is an estimated $145 million.

"When jackpots reach these levels, the number of players in the game expands, with many players joining together and buying tickets for their chance to become Powerball's next big winner," added Anderson.

Last Saturday's draw produced 10,158 winning tickets in Idaho for a total of $54,079 in prizes. The Powerball jackpot is now the fourth largest in this game's history. This Powerball jackpot has been steadily growing since it was last won on November 4, 2015.

As the draw gets closer, some retail locations may experience higher than normal volumes of player traffic. Players are advised to plan ahead as there may be lines to purchase tickets.

Players have until 7:55 p.m. MT on Wednesday 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.

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ABOUT THE IDAHO LOTTERY
The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch Games^TM, and PullTabs with a high degree of integrity to maximize the dividend for Idaho public schools and the permanent building fund. Since their inception in 1989, the Idaho Lottery has sold over $2.95 billion in products, awarded over $1.77 billion in prizes to players, returned more than $172.6 million in retail commissions, and distributed $694.5 million in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and the Permanent Building Fund. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.