Powerball drawing interest

Many Arkansas residents are hoping fortune smiles upon them, as large numbers of customers have purchased Powerball tickets since they first went on sale Halloween night.

As with the previously available scratch-off tickets, Powerball ticket sales are generating funds for the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship. Through their popularity, having sold in excess $1,095,000, ticket sales will be generating much-needed money which will help Arkansans continue their education.

Powerball and scratch-off tickets are currently available at Flash Market in Rector, EZ-Mart and Quik-Stop convenience stores in Marmaduke, and Jordan's Kwik Stop #24 in Piggott.

Like the scratch-offs before them, Powerball tickets have generated a great deal of interest locally.

"Powerball sales are doing very well," Flash Market manager Christine Dorris said. "We expected sales to be high, but it's been even more than we thought."

Flash Market has had two winning tickets redeemed thus far. While neither winning amount was enough to allow a person to retire, $15 has been the largest prize to date, interest remains high. With the Powerball jackpot growing to $96 million for the drawing tonight (Wednesday), the tickets' popularity is unlikely to wane any time soon.

In Powerball, players win if the numbers on their card, either chosen randomly by a computer or selected by the player, with those announced during the weekly drawings at 9:59 p.m. each Wednesday and Saturday. Persons can win the jackpot by matching all five numbers as well as the Powerball number. The jackpot amount varies, but is traditionally measured in the millions of dollars. Persons who match the five numbers, but not the Powerball are awarded $200,000. Matching four numbers and the Powerball nets the player $10,000. The winning tier continues along, with the award decreasing in parallel to the number of matches, all the way to a $3 prize for matching only the Powerball. By adding the Power Play option, which costs an additional $1 per ticket, winners can multiply their non-jackpot prizes by two, three, four or five times the original amount. The multiplier amount is determined in its own drawing.

Players can check their tickets by viewing the drawings on participating television networks, visiting www.powerball.com, or scanning their tickets at participating retailers. Customers may check their tickets at Flash Market beginning at 10:15 p.m. the night of the drawing.

Prizes larger than $500 must be received from Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Centers. Winners must print out a claim form from myarkansaslottery.com or ask their retailer for a copy, then mail the completed form along with their signed Powerball ticket and a copy of their photo ID to: Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center, P.O. Box 3838, Little Rock, AR 72203. The risk of mailing tickets rests with the claimant. Persons may also deliver their tickets in person to the claim center on the first floor of the Union Plaza Building at 124 West Captiol Ave. in Little Rock.

Arkansas is the 31st state to join the Multi-State Lottery Association which formed in 1987 by the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia. Missouri joined the group just one month later. The group's first game, Lotto America, ran for four years before being replaced by Powerball on April 22, 1992. Powerball has since gone on to become the most popular lottery game in the United States.