Powerball: ‘We get a lot of folks coming in;’ Tickets being purchased for 3rd largest jackpot
The Powerball jackpot drawing is later tonight and someone could win $1 billion.
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It is the third-largest Powerball in history.
Tickets have been selling across the county with no winner in the past three months.
People have been purchasing tickets at places like BeeGee’s Market in Kettering and they are getting ready for some last-minute sales.
News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott says people have been buying tickets looking to win the high prize of $1 billion.
The odds are extremely low for someone to win, one in 292 million. But it is not stopping people from trying.
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McDermott says people we talked to said if they did win, they already have plans to buy a mansion, racetrack, or travel the world.
If anyone happens to win, they can have the $1 billion paid out in yearly increments or a lump sum of $516 million.
The manager at BeeGee’s Market told News Center 7 he hopes someone gets to win all that money from a ticket at his store and is anticipating selling more today.
“(The) lottery stays busy all the time at BeeGee’s Market but when the jackpot gets this big, it gets even bigger and even busier,” said Michael Sliger. “We get a lot of folks coming in looking for their chance to win.”
McDermott says people have won at BeeGee’s before and there are signs inside marking the times people have won $1 million but never $1 billion.
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News Center 7 also spoke with financial advisor, Shon Anderson, on what someone should do if they win big.
He said whoever wins does not want to become part of the statistic of lottery winners who go broke after a few years.
Anderson said people need a plan on how to handle that sudden wealth and use the fact that in Ohio winners have 180 days to claim their money.
“It’s as fun as it could be to jump right in and grab that prize money, letting some of the hysteria die down a little bit so you can be a little bit more overt in claiming this very large amount of wealth,” he said. “But also be planning your team along that period of time as well.”
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McDermott says Ohio is also one of the states where winners can remain anonymous.
Experts say this is a good idea for your privacy, safety, and finances.
Tonight’s Powerball drawing is at 11 p.m.
