HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Powerball Jackpot is climbing again, now topping more than $1,000,000,000, and in northeastern Pennsylvania, players say the dream is worth the price of a ticket.
The Powerball Jackpot has now reached an estimated $1,100,000,000. That makes it the fifth largest in the game's history.
It has people across NEPA thinking about what they would do if they won.
"I think I would first buy a beach house on the Jersey Shore, then I'd go down a little bit further and buy another beach house in South Carolina, and then I would probably buy a third one in Florida," Laurel Run resident Alice Corba said.
Others say their plans are more about family.
"If I won the jackpot, I would definitely retire because I'm almost 40 and I would take care of my family, that's it," Sameerah from Hanover told 28/22 News.
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For store managers, the high jackpot also means big business.
"Since the Powerball being really high, it's been busy all day long, since morning to night. It is a lot busier than compared to normal lottery sales," Store Manager Mital Patal explained.
Store owners at Hawkeye Beverage say they sold hundreds of tickets on Monday.
Because many stores are closed for Labor Day, their business is seeing even more customers.
For some, buying tickets is just as much about fun as it is about winning.
"Brings a lot of people out, that's for sure. I usually get buddies together and we all contribute 10 bucks and get a couple hundred dollars worth," Joe Marx from Hanover said.
The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292 million, but for many, the hope of $1,000,000,000 payday is too tempting to pass up.
