Half of nation vie for $100m Powerball jackpot prize

Up to half of Australia's adult population are lining up for a share of $100 million in the sixth largest lottery jackpot in the nation.The nine-figure sum is set to draw thousands of entries per minute at lottery outlets across the nation and online.

The odds may be stacked against them but many will no doubt keep their fingers crossed they will soon be joining Australia's list of Powerball lottery winners.

In the last decade Australians have pocketed $4.78 billion in Powerball division one prize money across 176 wins.

NSW and Victoria lead Queensland in division one wins over that time span.

But the biggest individual lottery winner is a South Australian man who received an eye watering $150 million in May.

A Brisbane woman was the last person to hit the lottery jackpot, pocketing a cheeky $100 million in August.

The Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell assured Australians multi-million dollar wins could pop up anywhere.

"This $100 million Powerball jackpot is the biggest prize offered by any Australian lottery game in more than three months, and we do anticipate a huge rush across the country," she said."The last time Powerball offered a $100 million prize was in August when the peak of sales was at 6.17pm on the day of the draw when 8,681 tickets were sold in a single minute."

The draw closes at 7.30pm AEST on Thursday.