TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- The Powerball jackpot is breaking records. It is now one of the top 10 prizes of all time, at $415 million.
If you feel like you've seen high Powerball payouts more frequently in the news lately, it's not just your imagination. Recent rule changes are contributing to the jackpot's ability to climb even quicker than before.
The change does make it harder for you to win the top prize, but improves your odds of winning smaller cash prizes. The change was made back in October, just before the historic $1.5 billion jackpot.
"The white set of balls, we increased it from 59 to 69, and then we lowered the power ball from 35 to 26", said Florida Lottery Secretary Thomas Delacenserie. "Once it gets over 300 million, we see things grow exponentially, and once it gets over 500 million, we become part of the national consciousness."
With the change, a player now has a 1 in 25 chance of winning "something." Before, those odds were only 1 in 32.
