Powerball sales are exploding in Kentucky as the jackpot hits $1.5B, with millions in winning tickets already sold statewide.

Officials said 18 large winning tickets have been sold in Kentucky during the ongoing 45-draw run, totaling $4.3 million.

Powerball sales in Kentucky have surged to five times their average ahead of a historic $1.5 billion jackpot drawing on Saturday.

Kentucky Lottery said the $1.25 billion prize is the second time in Powerball history that the game has generated back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots. The last major jackpot, $1.787 billion, was won on Sept. 6 in Missouri and Texas. While no one has won the jackpot, several winning tickets have scored large prizes and remain unclaimed.

Two winning Powerball tickets totaling $100,000 have been sold in Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Lottery, the tickets are from the drawing that occurred on Saturday, Dec. 13. The two winning tickets were purchased at the following Kentucky Lottery retailers,

LOUISVILLE, KY (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Lottery gave away $2 Powerball coupons Friday at the Valley Station Kroger on Dixie Highway ahead of Saturday's 1 billion jackpot drawing. The winner of the high stakes lottery will have the option to receive the full $1 billion dollar payout over the course of 30 years or to receive $461.3 million cash.

Powerball ticket sales have been roughly five times higher than normal in the last week, a Kentucky Lottery spokesperson said.

A winning Powerball ticket worth $50,000 has been sold in Kentucky, and multiple others remain unclaimed. According to the Kentucky Lottery, the drawing took place on Monday, Dec. 15. The winning ticket was purchased at Kroger Fuel Center at 6767 Beulah Church Road in Louisville.

The Kentucky Lottery said that for several years, each member of the group has been paying into an office pool and having coworkers purchase tickets when the Powerball jackpot hits $800 million.