The Powerball jackpot keeps getting bigger as it now stands at $596 million for Saturday’s drawing.

The jackpot increased by almost $50 million after nobody won the big prize in Wednesday’s drawing. A winner on Saturday night could claim the jackpot as a $596 million annuity or $288.2 million in cash.

The $596 million jackpot fell just short of landing in the top 10 largest Powerball jackpots of all time.

“We always see the excitement grow among players when they have a chance to play for a Powerball jackpot of this size,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We saw big wins for North Carolinians in Monday and Wednesday’s drawings and hope to see more on Saturday.”

On Wednesday, one lucky $2 ticket in North Carolina matched four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. The ticket was purchased at the Walmart on N.C. 24 in Cameron. On Monday, a $3 Power Play ticket purchased at the Quality Mart on South Sterling Street in Morganton matched four white balls and the red ball to win $50,000. The prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.

Powerball has gone 24 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The Powerball jackpot was last hit in the July 19 drawing when a ticket in California won the $1.08 billion prize.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.