Powerball odds, Powerball winners: Floridians have best chance of winning Powerball jackpot

The odds are astronomical, but a Floridian has the best chance of winning Wednesday's Powerball jackpot of approximately $500 million.

That's because we're No. 1 in Powerball ticket sales. Lottery officials note that since the game began its dry spell on Oct. 3, Florida players have bought $83 million worth of tickets. That's more than anywhere else in the country."We've led the nation since we added Powerball in 2009, both in winners and in sales," the Florida Lottery's Shelly Gerteisen said. Of the 53 winners since Florida joined the 42-state game, four have been from Florida.

Florida ranks third in overall lottery-ticket sales, with more than $4 billion per year, behind New York ($7 billion) and Massachusetts ($4.8 billion). Both of those states also offer MegaMillions.

Still, the overall odds of winning Powerball are 1 in 175 million. So don't be too optimistic.