Time is running out to get a ticket for a chance to win an estimated $500 million Powerball jackpot.

The drawing happens on Wednesday and is the largest jackpot in the multistate game’s history.

A lottery official said since Powerball tickets doubled in price to $2 in January, the number of tickets sold has decreased, but the sales revenue has made up for it, increasing by about 35 percent.

Powerball ticket sales are surging in West Virginia as players buy chances to win game.

West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave said sales for Saturday's drawing topped $1 million, and lottery officials expect strong sales again for Wednesday's drawing.

Wednesday's jackpot was first posted at $425 million. It was revised upward to $500 million when brisk sales increased the payout.

Eight Powerball players in West Virginia have won jackpots. They include Jack Whittaker, who won a $314.9 million jackpot in 2002, and Randy Smith, who won a $79 million prize in 2010.

WTOV9 is the Ohio Valley’s lottery station. Watch the Powerball drawing Wednesday at 10:59 p.m., just before our newscast.