Powerball jackpot climbs to 177 million

Iowans can expect longer lines at their lottery retailers this afternoon and tonight. The jackpot for this evening’s Powerball drawing is again creeping into record territory, according to Iowa Lottery spokesman Joe Hrdlicka, who says tonight’s jackpot is at 177-million dollars, the 9th largest prize in the lottery’s history. Hrdlicka expects Iowans will be buying Powerball tickets at a rate of several hundred per minute today. He says you should play with your head and play responsibly.The cutoff for Powerball ticket sales is 8 P.M. with the drawing at 9:59 tonight. If there’s no winner this evening, Hrdlicka says the jackpot will likely grow to near 200-million dollars for the Saturday night drawing. Odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are about one in 120-million.