This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20535355

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
US Powerball lottery: Two tickets share $550m jackpot US Powerball lottery: Two tickets share $587m jackpot
(about 14 hours later)
Two winning tickets - bought in Arizona and Missouri - share a $550m (£344m) US Powerball lottery jackpot, the second-biggest US prize ever, organisers say. Two tickets, bought in Arizona and Missouri, share a $587.5m (£366m) US Powerball lottery jackpot, the second-biggest US prize ever, organisers say.
The jackpot swelled after 16 consecutive draws had failed to produce a winning ticket. Missouri lottery officials have verified that winning ticket and will hold a Friday morning news conference.
No-one has yet come forward to claim the prize. The Arizona winner has 180 days to claim the prize money.
Tickets had been selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide, but the odds of scooping the top prize had been calculated at one in 175 million. The winners beat odds calculated at one in 175 million to match all six numbers. Tickets had been selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide.
Lottery officials said the winning tickets were sold in Arizona and Missouri, but it was not yet clear whether they had been bought by individuals or groups. Lottery officials said the winning tickets were sold at a Four Sons Food shop in Fountain Hills, Arizona, and at a convenience store about 35 miles (56km) north of Kansas City in Missouri.
Statisticians calculated that a player had more chance of becoming US president, dying from a bee sting or getting struck by lightning than hitting the jackpot. It is not yet clear whether the tickets were bought by individuals or groups.
The jackpot had swelled after 16 consecutive rollover draws.
Statisticians estimated a player had more chance of becoming US president, dying from a bee sting or getting struck by lightning than hitting the jackpot.
The numbers drawn late on Wednesday were 5, 23, 16, 22, 29 and 6.The numbers drawn late on Wednesday were 5, 23, 16, 22, 29 and 6.
'Join the hype'
The prize fund had apparently been boosted by late purchases by those who rarely play the lottery.The prize fund had apparently been boosted by late purchases by those who rarely play the lottery.
"I've been thinking about winning this money and what I'd do with it," first-time ticket buyer Pat Powell told the Associated Press in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Let me just join the hype and just do it."
In New York, another player, Nelson Batista, told Reuters news agency that if he won: "Maybe I'd change my face and my whole body and I make myself more younger."
Forty-two US states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands participate in the Powerball lottery.Forty-two US states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands participate in the Powerball lottery.
Officials doubled the price of Powerball lottery tickets in January to $2.Officials doubled the price of Powerball lottery tickets in January to $2.
Despite an initial drop in sales, revenue is reportedly about 35% higher than 2011 figures.Despite an initial drop in sales, revenue is reportedly about 35% higher than 2011 figures.