BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô Playing and winning the lottery has taken on a new meaning in the past week. Two $50,000 winning Powerball tickets from last Saturday night remain unclaimed and the jackpot for tonight is an estimated $1.5 billion for the annuity prize and $930 million for the one-time cash option. As more and more people join in to play for this world record setting jackpot, there are many first time participants who, after tonight's draw, will be asking how to find the winning numbers and if they have won.

"We want to stress the importance of signing your tickets as soon as you buy them and then carefully checking each one for winners after the draw," said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. "There are thousands of other prizes available in the game besides the jackpot. Last Saturday night alone we had over 103,000 prize winning tickets in Idaho, including the two $50,000 winners. It only takes one ticket to enjoy this historic experience."

Players can watch the live Powerball draw on the Idaho Lottery's draw partner television stations across the Gem State. In the Treasure Valley and Magic Valley, the draw is shown live on KTVB/KTFT 24/7 at 8:59 PM Mountain Time. In northern Idaho, the draw is shown live at 7:59 PM Pacific Time on KLEW 3/8. In eastern Idaho, the draw is shown at 9:59 PM Mountain Time on KPVI Channel 6.

Players have until 7:55 PM Mountain Time (6:55 PM Pacific Time) to purchase tickets.

Once the winning numbers are selected, it does take some time for reporting to occur. Once reporting is done, the winning numbers will be posted on the Idaho Lottery's website, idaholottery.com. The quickest posting of the winning numbers often occurs through the Idaho Lottery's social media channels, on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/idaholottery/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/idaholottery), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/idaholottery/ ). Players can also call the Idaho Lottery's winning numbers line at 208-334-4656 to get the winning numbers.

After the entire draw process is complete for all the States, the results will be released and players may begin validating any prizes they have. Given the size of this jackpot and the time necessary to complete the draw process nationwide, it may take a few hours before players can validate winners after the draw actually occurs. This includes checking their tickets through the Idaho Lottery's website, using the Idaho Lottery's free Check-a-Ticket app, and any of the Lottery's terminal-based scanners at retail locations.

All winning prizes over $599 must be claimed at Idaho Lottery offices in Boise. Players have 180 days from tonight's draw to claim their prizes.

Any questions regarding winning tickets, or in the event of a large winning prize, players are encouraged to contact the Idaho Lottery during regular business hours from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM Mountain Time beginning Thursday morning at 208-334-2600.

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ABOUT THE IDAHO LOTTERY
The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch Games^TM, and PullTabs with a high degree of integrity to maximize the dividend for Idaho public schools and the permanent building fund. Since their inception in 1989, the Idaho Lottery has sold over $2.95 billion in products, awarded over $1.77 billion in prizes to players, returned more than $172.6 million in retail commissions, and distributed $694.5 million in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and the Permanent Building Fund. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.