TRAVERSE CITY -- You have the chance to get rich quick; Tuesday the Powerball Jackpot hit a record high, swelling to a half-a-billion dollars!
In the last few days folks have been coming out in droves to buy Powerball tickets in northern Michigan.
The Powerball Lottery is set at $500 million dollars, the largest in the game’s history.
Catherine Allchin from Suttons Bay stopped in to the Holiday Gas Station Tuesday night and says, "I’m going to buy five tickets worth because I have five kids and I’ll put their names on each one but I’m not going to tell them if I win, ha, ha!"
Holiday Gas Station Employee Kathy Burkholder says, “Oh my gosh, I’ve only been here since 4:30am and I bet you every other customer has bought tickets, id say close to 50 to 75 total right now!"
So what are your odds of winning the jackpot? One in 175-million… to put that into perspective you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, multiple times in your lifetime.
But the "oh so small" odds aren't swashing the hope here in northern Michigan. Dave Ellis from Traverse City says, "At some point you have to play, you can’t look yourself in the mirror and say I didn't go for it!"
Claire Shiflett from Lake Leelanau says, "I’m always hopeful! Even though those statistics aren’t so great, it could be you, the possibilities even though it’s slim... it’s not impossible!"
If a winning ticket isn't sold, the prize is expected to jump again to more than $1 Billion dollars.
Ticket sales end at 9:45pm Wednesday night and the drawing is at 10:59pm. If someone is lucky enough to win, they have the chance of taking the money up front at a reduced amount -- a lump sum cash value of $327 million dollars!
