A Canadian's guide to the $700-million Powerball jackpot

$700M Powerball jackpot up for grabs Powerball fever was spreading on both sides of the border with the jackpot up to $700 million U.S.

The second largest Powerball jackpot in U.S. history has Canadians making a run for the border.

A steady stream of Canucks are expected to head to Washington State to buy the US $2-tickets in Washington State ahead of Wednesday night's draw.

It has an estimated US $700-million prize, a large jump after last week’s draw went unclaimed.

But how does playing and potentially winning the lottery from another country actually work?

Here’s a Canadian’s guide to one of the biggest Powerball lottery jackpots in American history.

Are you eligible?

It’s fun to dream, but this is a U.S. lottery, so are Canadians even eligible to win?

The answer is buried on the Powerball website.

“Yes, non-US citizens can legally play, and non-US citizens are eligible to win any prize offered in the game,” it says.

How much can you win?

The lump sum payout option for this Powerball jackpot is potentially about US $700 million.

Uncle Sam takes a 30 per cent cut from foreign lottery winners, but the State of Washington doesn’t have a tax on winnings.

But an obscure American law makes it illegal to import lottery tickets into the United States so any Canadian who brings their tickets home and hits the jackpot may need to hire a good lawyer to help them collect the winnings.