Powerball Winning Numbers for Aug. 3, 2016

With a payout estimated at $40 million, Wednesday's Powerball jackpot is small potatoes compared to the record-setting $1.6 billion prize paid out in January or last Saturday's $478 million pot. But those millions add up — a million here, a million there, and soon you're talking about real money.

Well, it's all real money. And if someone picks all the right numbers for Wednesday's drawing, that cash could end up in their bank account. The lump-sum cash payout is estimated at $28.1 million.

You have a better chance of hitting the jackpot if you let the computer pick your numbers. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the Powerball game, says about 75 percent of winning tickets are selected when the numbers are chosen by a computer.

The winning numbers: 9-11-27-66-67 and the Powerball is 2.

Plays cost $2 each, and Illinois residents can buy tickets online at illinoislottery.com, at almost 8,000 retailers in the state or by using the free Illinois Lottery’s mobile app. The overall odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292,201,338, the Illinois Lottery reports.

Drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday.

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Players pick five numbers from one to 69 and a sixth, red Powerball number, one through 26. Many people choose a Quick Pick ticket for random numbers. There are different levels of payouts, but to win the jackpot, tickets must match all five numbers plus the Powerball.

When you claim your prize, you may collect the full value paid in 30 installments over 29 years or a one-time lump sum that is smaller than the actual total. The federal tax on lottery winnings is 25 percent.

Related: Lottery Scams Increase as Jackpots Climb

Powerball is played in Illinois, 43 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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