2 Winning Powerball Tickets

Denise and James Webster were going fishing when they took a detour to test their luck first elsewhere: buying their first Powerball lottery ticket in Vermont.

The couple, along with hundreds of thousands of people in the 24 states where the game is played - as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands - were lured by the $261.3 million jackpot.

But the Websters will have to wait until next time for their big payout.

Powerball officials in Des Moines, Iowa, said two tickets sold in Missouri and Pennsylvania correctly matched all six numbers drawn late Wednesday. The winning numbers were 19, 21, 26, 31, 51 and Powerball 40.

The drawing capped a furious week of Powerball frenzy, especially in Vermont. This was the first time Powerball was authorized in the state and some Vermonters bought lottery tickets for the first time and picked up five or 10 at once.

State lawmakers approved including Vermont in the Powerball lottery last winter. Powerball profits will go to the Vermont Education Fund - and are expected to generate an additional $3.2 million in the first year.

Lottery officials say the game's novelty and the size of the jackpot lured more players than expected the first week. The jackpot has already rolled over 17 times since May 10, making Wednesday's jackpot the game's fourth-largest.

"Number one: The game is just starting so it's a new game for players. Number two: The jackpot started out at $165 million, so obviously there's a lot of interest," said Lottery Director Alan Yandow.

Rick Wisler, New Hampshire's lottery director, said many people buy more than one ticket, believing they are dramatically increasing their odds of winning. But, he said, any improvement is minuscule.

The largest Powerball jackpot was captured last year by a 55-year-old West Virginia contractor who won $314.9 million on Christmas Day. The richest lottery prize in U.S. history was $363 million in the Big Game jackpot, won by two players in Illinois and Michigan in 2000.