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Latest: Powerball officials expect $400M in sales Saturday

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January 9th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Powerball lottery officials are expecting more than $400 million in ticket sales on Saturday alone thanks to the jackpot soaring to $900 million. Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery and president of the multistate Powerball Lottery, says officials tallied $352 million in ticket sales on Friday. If there’s no winner Saturday night, the jackpot rolls to an estimated $1.3 billion.

But Grief says the chances of no one hitting all five initial numbers and the Powerball number is growing slim because by the time sales close Saturday night, officials estimate around 75 percent of all possible combinations “will have been wagered on.”