The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the "Powerball" game were: 12-36-38-54-61, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 3
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The Powerball lottery jackpot has hit $300 million. No matter who you are or how wealthy you might already be, that is a LOT of money.
Because gigantic jackpots like this one bring out lottery ticket buyers who might only play occasionally, we thought we'd give you some of the basics of buying tickets in Michigan.
First off, it's important to know that you're up against lottery players from all over the place. Powerball tickets are sold in forty-four states, plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The lottery drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday night.
Each play of Powerball will cost you $2. And you have until 9:45 p.m. tonight to purchase your lottery tickets.
You can check for Michigan lottery sellers near you by searching here.
To make your ticket buying simplae, you can let the lottery computer choose your Powerball numbers. If you want to choose on your own, you will select 5 white balls from numbers 1 to 69 and one red Powerball from numbers 1 to 26.
When you buy a Powerball ticket, you have the option of selecting to receive any large winnings in one lump sum, or as an annuity. Choosing the annuity means you'd receive your jackpot split over thirty payments, one each year.
Of course, winning the lottery means paying taxes on your prize. According to the Michigan Lottery, they are required by law to withhold estimated income taxes from your winnings if you win anything more than $5,000. They estimate that to be 25 percent for federal taxes and 4.25 percent for state taxes.
If more than one person has the numbers drawn tonight, they all split the jackpot equally.
