Powerball hits $325 Million - Will You Buy a Ticket?

Is one-third of a billion dollars enough money to prompt you to go out and buy lottery tickets? Powerball's estimated prize in Saturday night's drawing is $325 million, which is about $40 million off the all-time record, according to Lottery Universe.

The cash prize option would be $212.8 million.

But with the odds of getting a ticket with the winning numbers worse than 1 in 175 million, will you play the game? It costs $2 per ticket. The "Powerball multiplier" adds $1 to the ticket price, but could increase the size of any non-grand prize amount.

Powerball is played in 42 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Friday's MegaMillions jackpot is "only" $41 million. Heck, even Friday's Fantasy Five drawing is worth more than $300,000.

A portion of the ticket sales are used for education in Georgia, including the HOPE Scholarship. The Georgia Lottery for Education Act requires that proceeds be used to fund:

• Tuition grants, scholarships or loans to undergraduate college students and teachers who seek advanced degrees in critical areas of need.
• Voluntary Prekindergarten Programs
• Technology grants to train teachers in the use and application of advanced technology and capital outlay projects for educational facilities. This program received appropriations through fiscal year 2003.

With the holiday shopping season upon us, will more people take a chance for a big payoff?

Are you going to buy a Powerball ticket for Saturday's drawing? What would you do if you won? Tell us in the comments below.