Powerball's February 8, 2012 lottery jackpot is a quarter of a billion dollars

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Update: No winning ticket was drawn in Wednesday's drawing. The jackpot is now $310 million. Wednesday's numbers were 17, 28, 38, 39, 51 with 33 as the Powerball.

Want to be a quarter-billionaire? You could be if you're lucky enough to win Wednesday's Powerball lottery jackpot.

The jackpot has risen to $250,000,000 after there have been no grand prize winners since December 24, a span of 12 drawings.

Only sixteen times in Powerball history was a jackpot larger -- but no one won four of those times:

• July 29, 1998: $261,300,000
• December 25, 2002: $314,900,000
• July 9, 2003: $261,300,000
• October 15, 2005: $305,300,000 (no winner)
• October 19, 2005: $340,000,000
• February 11, 2006: $251,500,000 (no winner)
• February 15, 2006: $308,800,000 (no winner)
• February 18, 2006: $365,000,000
• January 24, 2007: $254,000,000
• August 22, 2007: $252,100,000 (no winner)
• August 25, 2007: $314,300,000
• March 15, 2008: $275,000,000
• August 9, 2009: $259,900,000
• April 21, 2010: $258,500,000
• June 2, 2010: $261,600,000
• November 2, 2011: $252,400,000

Powerball recently changed the game's odds to make it easier to win. Beginning with the January 18 drawing, 5 balls are drawn from a pool of 59 numbers followed by the drawing of the Powerball from a pool of 35 numbers. The lottery also increased the price of a Powerball ticket from $1 to $2.

Previously, the game used a pool of 39 numbered balls for the Powerball.

The deadline to buy tickets for Wednesday night's drawing is 10:00 p.m. EST.

For more information, visit www.powerball.com .