March madness takes on a whole new meaning for Illinois lottery players Friday.
Lottery officials are giving away 500 free Powerball tickets to those who play the “pop-a-shot” game at a Jewel grocery store in Chicago. Anyone who scores a basket will receive a “special prize,” according to the Illinois Lottery.
Players can purchase additional Powerball tickets from the retailer. According to officials, a quarter of every dollar spent on the lottery goes back to K-12 public education and “other special causes.”
The #PowerballMadness free ticket giveaway will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jewel located at 2940 N. Ashland Ave.
No Powerball ticket matched all six winning numbers in the $562 million drawing Wednesday night, and the jackpot rose tens of millions of dollars more ahead of the next drawing.
Saturday's drawing will be an estimated $625 million, game officials said Thursday. That makes it the fourth largest in game history, and the seventh-largest in U.S. lottery history.
