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Powerball Jackpot Swells To $478M, Fifth Largest In Game's History

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) –  Have your Powerball ticket for Saturday's draw?

You're not alone.

The jackpot is $478 million, but that number could climb before the draw. The $478 million jackpot is the fifth largest in the game's history and the eighth largest of all time.

Lottery officials said Friday that the last time the Powerball jackpot was in the neighborhood of half a billion dollars was January ($528.5 million to be exact on Jan. 6).

Two more draws went unclaimed, bringing that jackpot to the staggering world record amount of $1.586 billion a week later.

Mae and Marvin Acosta purchased a ticket in Chino Hills that matched all six numbers. They shared the record $1.586 billion jackpot with winners in Tennessee and Florida.

If someone wins the Powerball jackpot Saturday night (and why not you?), they'll have the option of taking the estimated $478 million spread out over 30 years or taking the lump sum amount of an estimated $330.6 million before federal taxes.

If nobody hits the Powerball jackpot Saturday night, it will roll to an estimated $570 million.

Powerball is played in 44 States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. For more information, click on the official Powerball site, or go to California Lottery.com.

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