Powerball Jackpot Hits $500 Million as Ticket Sales Soar

WASHINGTON — (CNN) Powerball ticket sales have caught fire, boosting the jackpot to $500 million ahead of Wednesday night’s drawing.

The grand prize has climbed another $50 million since Tuesday morning, according to lottery officials.

It hit $400 million over the weekend after another winner-less drawing on Saturday, and then hit $450 million on Tuesday. A new round of numbers will be picked at 11 pm ET on Wednesday.

Ticket sales have surged since the last drawing, with an estimated 300 million new tickets purchased between Sunday and Wednesday.

“This is more than 10 times what we see when the jackpot is at the lower levels,” Texas Lottery spokesperson Kelly Cripe said Tuesday when it stood at $450 million.

Nobody has matched all six numbers in one of the bi-weekly Powerball drawings since Nov. 7, 2015. That’s 17 drawings with no winner.

The $500 million jackpot is one of the biggest in U.S. history. It’s currently headed for sixth place, but if there’s still no winner on Wednesday night, the pot will keep growing — potentially moving it further up the ranks.

Powerball is sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.