The Powerball jackpot keeps going up as it now stands at $485 million for Wednesday’s drawing.

A winner tonight could claim the jackpot as a $485 million annuity or $232.4 million in cash.

As North Carolinians keep going for the jackpot, players continue to win other nice prizes playing Powerball. A $3 Power Play ticket in North Carolina matched four white balls and the red Powerball in Monday’s drawing to win $50,000. The lucky ticket, bought at BJ’s Membership Club on Triangle Plantation Drive in Raleigh, doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.

“We have seen several big wins recently for Powerball players in North Carolina,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We are hoping to see the biggest win yet tonight. Good luck.”

Check out these numbers on how Powerball affects North Carolinians:
• 17,108: The total number of winning tickets in Monday’s drawing
• $9.8 million: The estimated amount raised for education on the current Powerball run

Another chance to win big this week occurs Friday when the Mega Millions drawing offers a $687 million jackpot as an annuity or $332.3 million in cash.

Players can buy Powerball or Mega Millions tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.

For details on how money raised by the lottery makes a difference for education programs in all 100 North Carolina counties, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.