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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) —The Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $500 million, which would make it the fifth largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
**$2 billion in lottery prizes go unclaimed every year**
The lottery raised its jackpot estimate hours before Wednesday night’s drawing and has raised it twice since Saturday’s drawing by a total of about $105 million.
No one has won the Powerball jackpot for more than two months, so the prize has been growing gradually from its $40 million starting point.
It’s been nearly a year since a Powerball prize topped $400 million
Powerball is sold in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is about 1 in 175 million.
