(WWJ) -- Lottery players are getting another chance to hit it big, with the addition of a third weekly Powerball drawing, beginning Monday.
The newly added Monday drawing will join the weekly lineup of Powerball drawings currently held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, marking the first time in Powerball's 29-year history it will be offered three times a week.
Monday's Powerball jackpot was an estimated $293 million at the start of the day.
There's also a new add-on feature available for the three weekly drawings -- Double Play, which, for $1 more, will give players in select jurisdictions, including Michigan, another chance to match their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing with a top cash prize of $10 million.
The first Double Play drawing will be held Monday after the Powerball drawing.
The Michigan Lottery Commission's Jake Harris says people are excited about the new Powerball options.
"Anytime players have another chance to win a life-changing sum of money, it's something people are excited about," Harris told WWJ Monday. "But also looking at the game overall, it gives people another chance to win some of those other prizes, ranging from $4 up to $1 million, that second-tier prize."
Harris told WWJ last month a big driving factor behind the decision to add a third weekly drawing was to differentiate the Powerball from the other large bi-weekly Lottery game, Mega Millions. Some have speculated that Mega Millions will eventually add a third game, though no plans have been announced.
Harris says the last big winner in Michigan was last year when a Waterford woman won $70 million.
More information on the expanded Powerball drawings and the Double Play feature can be found on the Powerball website.
