Powerball jackpot jumps to $400 million

LOS ANGELES — The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday night’s drawing has risen to an estimated $400 million, one of the largest prizes in lottery history.

The prize soared after no one matched all six numbers in Saturday’s jackpot drawing, according to lottery officials.

California joined the multistate game in April, and, since then, enormous jackpots have become more common. About a month after the state joined the $2 game, a Powerball jackpot climbed to about $600 million, setting a record for the game.

Officials say that with Powerball’s $2 tickets, jackpots in that game can rise faster with fewer tickets sold than in a game such as Mega Millions, which costs $1 per play.

The odds of winning Wednesday’s big Powerball prize are about 1 in 175 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. Powerball is played in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For Saturday’s drawing, California sold more than 151,000 winning tickets for smaller prizes ranging from $3 to $5,937, according to the California Lottery.

Drawings take place every Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets must be purchased by 7 p.m.