Middlesex County Strikes It Rich with Powerball Wins in $1.73 Billion Drawing

Middlesex County, New Jersey, is celebrating a remarkable victory as four out of the eight third-prize Powerball tickets sold in the state were purchased right here. The excitement is palpable as these lucky tickets brought joy to their holders during the colossal $1.73 billion Powerball drawing.

Here are the Middlesex County retailers where the seven $50,000 Powerball tickets and one $100,000 ticket were sold, each of which matched four numbers plus the Powerball:

1. Country Farms on King Georges Road in the Fords section of Woodbridge ($100,000 - bought with Power Play for an extra $1).

2. Crystal's Deli on Ernston Road in the Parlin section of Old Bridge.

3. QuickChek on Durham Avenue in South Plainfield.

4. Daisy's Liquor & Grocery Store on Jackson Street in South River.

The thrilling aspect of Powerball is that it's not just local; it's a nationwide phenomenon. This was exemplified as the historic $1.76 billion Powerball jackpot was claimed by a ticket purchased in Frazier Park, California, making it the second largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.

Wednesday's winning numbers were 22, 24, 40, 52, and 64, with the Powerball drawn being 10, and a Power Play of 2x.

Nationally, nine tickets matched five numbers but not the Powerball. Two tickets bought in Florida and one each in Ballston Spa, New York, Oklahoma, and Virginia are worth $1 million each. Two tickets - one each in Arizona and Pennsylvania - are valued at $2 million each because the winners chose the Power Play option for an extra $1.

The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are incredibly slim, standing at 292,201,388 to 1. However, a player who buys a $2 ticket has about a 1 in 11,688,053 chance to match five numbers and win at least $1 million, while the odds are 913,129 to 1 to win a third prize of at least $50,000. Powerball continues to bring thrills and life-changing moments to players across the nation.