The Powerball fever is here and you have to be in it to win it. The Powerball reached a record $1.4 billion on Monday, the record breaking number can increase if its ticket sales continue to surge on.
The Powerball PowerPlay started this journey on November 4 at $40 million, according to The Detroit News. It has created mixed feelings here in Tallahassee.
Caira Williams, 25, a local store clerk at a Kangaroo gas station, is enthusiastic about the jackpot. Williams explained how ticket sales at her store have gone up and that it has been beneficial.
“In the past weeks, we’ve made $4,000 from Powerball ticket sales alone…When the store’s sales increase like they are now, I receive a bonus on my check,” Williams said.
The jackpot has even made non-gamblers come out and test their luck.
Tiffany Ospin, a second-year pharmacy student from Miami, Fla., explained that she doesn’t gamble, but this is an opportunity to win millions. Ospin believes that she has a good chance at winning.
“I’ve been reading about it and examining the numbers and I said to myself why not? My friends are all playing it and it’s only $2 a ticket. Maybe I can have the golden ticket,” Ospin said.
Although the jackpot amount is high, the chances of winning it all are very slim. According to Nola, the odds of winning are 1 in 292.2 million. Some local residents feel that those odds are enough reason not to gamble their money on it.
Tarel Washington, 26, a cashier at Circle K, explained why he’s not caught up in the hype.
“I don’t believe in it,” Washington said. “The odds are real slim and it’s crazy to think that you’re going to win all of that. I rather just not play.”
Even a hopeful Williams is a bit skeptical of her chances.
“It just seems as if every time there’s a huge amount like this, the winner is never in Florida. The winners are always somewhere up north,” Williams said.
One thing the residents of Tallahassee can joyfully speak about is what they would do if they do win. Ospin explained the million dollar shopping spree she would go on.Washington had a hypothetical plan for what would happen if he played.
“If I did win, the first thing I would do is change my identity. The next thing I would do is leave Tallahassee and move somewhere far away,” Washington said.
The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. eastern standard time. For more information, visit http://www.powerball.com/.