No winners in U.S. Powerball, jackpot grows to $478 million

(Reuters) – No one won the multi-state Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, pushing the grand prize to $478 million, the fifth largest in the game’s history and the eighth-biggest lottery prize ever in the United States, officials said.

The winning numbers selected were 10 47 50 65 68, with the Powerball 24. The next drawing will be held on Saturday.

The jackpot has rolled over 23 times since it was reset to its starting sum of $40 million for a drawing on May 11, lottery officials said.

The Powerball game is based on lottery tickets sold for $2 apiece. It is played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A winning ticket will be worth an estimated payout of $478 million if spread over 30 years, or the winner may opt for a lump-sum payment of $330.6 million before federal taxes.

Wednesday’s draw came about 2-1/2 months after a $429.6 million winning Powerball ticket was sold in New Jersey, and two weeks after a $540 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot was clinched in Indiana.

The largest all-time lottery prize offered in North America was a Powerball jackpot worth nearly $1.6 billion for winning tickets sold in California, Tennessee and Florida in January.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Paul Tait and John Stonestreet)