Have you been eyeing that $850 million Powerball jackpot, but just can’t pull the trigger on buying a ticket?
If it’s the thought of spending your money on something not-guaranteed that’s holding you back, your worries can subside — there’s a way to get a ticket for free.
The Powerball jackpot has been rolling since July, and is valued at an estimated $850 million ahead of its drawing at 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27, with a cash value of $397.4 million.
This jackpot is the fourth-largest jackpot in the history of the game, and the second-largest Powerball jackpot drawing this year. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
For players in Massachusetts and select other states looking to get a free ticket ahead of the drawing on Wednesday night, a lottery ticket courier app launched in the state over the summer, called Jackpocket, is offering a promotion for a free Powerball ticket.
To get the ticket, players must download Jackpocket and ensure they’re in a state, like Massachusetts, that allows the app to operate, then sign up with a free account using their phone number and email address.
After verifying their age by scanning their driver’s license with their phone, players can deposit money into their Jackpocket account, which can be used to buy lottery drawing tickets.
The ordering experience is similar to in a store, with options for different ways to play drawing games through multipliers, Quic Pic tickets and choosing numbers individually still available.
By entering the code “FREEPB” at checkout, players can get their Powerball ticket for tonight’s record-breaking drawing for free. The code can only be used for a player’s first ticket purchase through the app and for a single $2 ticket.
Online lottery still isn’t legal in Massachusetts, though bills have been filed by both House and Senate lawmakers following online sports betting, which was launched in the state on March 10.
But the Jackpocket app said it isn’t that. Instead, it’s offering a lottery courier service to Bay Staters, similar to the likes of ordering food through “Uber Eats” or “DoorDash,” according to spokesperson Andrew Fries.
Once a ticket is ordered, a representative from Jackpocket purchases the player’s ticket, and it is scanned into the app for the player to view.
Jackpocket is not affiliated with the Massachusetts State Lottery; however, players can buy tickets for games other than Powerball like Mega Millions and Lucky for Life, and local Massachusetts lottery games such as Mass Cash.
If a player wins a prize valued at $600 or less, the money can be instantly transferred into a bank account of the player’s choosing; if the prize is more than $600, Jackpocket will transfer the winning ticket to them so they can claim their prize directly from the Massachusetts State Lottery.
