Powerball Jackpot Jumps To $650 Million, Where To Buy Tickets In Tennessee

NASHVILLE, TN — With no winner Saturday, the Powerball jackpot surged to $650 million for the Wednesday, Aug. 23, drawing, the second-largest jackpot in history. If you want to race out and buy the winning ticket, we've got a list of places in Tennessee where you can purchase a Powerball ticket.

Saturday's estimated Powerball jackpot is the fifth largest jackpot in the multi-state lottery's history. The cash payout will be an estimated $324.2 million. The winning numbers for Saturday were: 17-19-39-43-68 and Powerball No. 4. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

Each ticket costs $2. Punch in your ZIP code, and find out where you can buy your Powerball tickets here, via the Tennessee Lottery.

The largest three Powerball jackpots ever are:

• $1.6 Billion — January 2016
• $650 Million — August 2017
• $590.5 Million — February 2013

Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59 p.m. Central time. A winner from Tennessee wouldn't be all that unusual. The record in the game was a $1.6 billion drawing in January 2016, which was won by a Munford couple and the $421 million prize in November 2016 was split by a group of coworkers at a Portland plant.

Check back on Wednesday, August 23, for the winning Powerball numbers.

The Powerball game is played by matching all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball number. The odds of picking the correct Powerball grand prize numbers are one in 292,201,338.

If you still want to take a chance — someone has to win, right? — you have a better chance of hitting the jackpot if you let the computer pick your numbers. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the Powerball game, says about 75 percent of winning tickets are selected when the numbers are chosen by a computer.

The lottery game is played in 44 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball draws can be seen on hundreds of TV stations nationwide. It may also be available on cable or your mobile device. The draws are also posted on YouTube and on the Powerball site. Where to watch the Powerball drawing on TV.

Claiming, Safeguarding Winnings

So, what should you do if you win the big prize? Many lottery winners hire an attorney, financial planner or both, since most people don’t exactly know what to do when they suddenly come into so much money. Some even bring their lawyer with them to claim their prize. The lottery does not offer any counseling services or advice for winners.

You have two choices when you claim your prize: the full value paid in 30 installments over 29 years, or a one-time lump sum that is smaller than the actual total.

Then there are the taxes. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent. Luckily, in Tennessee, there are no state or city income taxes.

Financial experts say that if you can get more than a 3 or 4 percent return on an investment, the lump sum is actually the best way to go in the long-term.

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