Lottery machines across New Jersey have been printing tickets all day in anticipation of tonight's Powerball jackpot with an annuity value of $400 million.

Powerball jackpot display at Stop & Shop in Pennington
Powerball jackpot display at Stop & Shop in Pennington (Dan Alexander, Townsquare Media NJ)
loading...

Tickets are available until 10 p.m. for the drawing an hour later. Lottery spokeswoman Judith Drucker says many purchased tickets during lunch today with sales hitting about $8 thousand between 1 and 2 p.m. today, and nearly $9 thousand between 3 and 4 p.m.

Tonight’s jackpot, with a cash value of $223.6 million, is the fifth largest ever offered in the United States. The drawing is Wednesday night at 11 p.m. and can be seen on WABC TV and WPVI TV and on the Powerball website. Text NEWS to 89000 to be the first to know when the numbers are drawn.

"The revenue generate by the New Jersey Lottery ticket sales goes to fund so many valuable education programs and institutions throughout the state," said Drucker. "Everybody in the state really benefits from playing."

No one has won the jackpot in the multi-state game in the 11 drawings since the last huge jackpot on August 7. The Ocean's 16 group of county workers from Ocean County who bought their ticket at the Acme supermarket in Little Egg Harbor, were the first to come forward. Mario Scarnici of Monmouth Junction, who got his ticket at Stop and Shop in South Brunswick, claimed his part of the jackpot a few weeks later. A third ticket was purchased in Minnesota.

The "Ocean's 16" Powerball winners hold their own checks
The "Ocean's 16" Powerball winners hold their own checks (New Jersey Lottery)
loading...

A major revamp in January 2012 increased the cost of a Powerball ticket from $1 to $2. It also led to larger jackpots in smaller amounts of time. Of the top 10 Powerball jackpots of all time, nearly half have been recorded after the game change.

NJ 101.5 SMS Alerts (Max 8msg/mth); T&C and Privacy Policy at 89000.mobi. Reply STOP to opt-out or HELP for help. Msg & Data rates may apply.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM