Powerball Jackpot Brings Boost in Ticket Sales to Area Stores
By: William Seay
Updated: November 28, 2012
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) You can't go to a convenient store this week without hearing that sound - the sound of the lottery machine printing off yet another ticket.
At the South Belt Fastgas in St. Joseph, they sold more than 1,400 tickets in one day earlier this week.
"It's huge. Sometimes only a daily basis it's maybe around 300 or something like that, so it's a big difference," said manager Michelle Enriquez.
The big draw is Powerball, a national lottery game that has its biggest jackpot ever - $550 million.
It's the second biggest lotto jackpot ever in America.
And despite the dismal odds - each ticket has a 1 in 175,223,510 chance of winning the jackpot - it has sent people out in droves vying for a chance to win.
"Everybody thinks they're the lucky ones, they're the one that's going to be the next millionaire or the next multi-millionaire. It'd be nice," said lotto player Leona Merrow."
Enriquez says whenever a lottery jackpot exceeds even 250 million, ticket sales jump up at least 200%.
"Some customers come in thinking they're only contributing to someone else's winnings. But they still have that hope that they'll win," Enriquez said, right before admitting that she too will likely by a ticket for herself. "Yeah, my seven year old even wants me to buy him one!"
At the South Belt Fastgas in St. Joseph, they sold more than 1,400 tickets in one day earlier this week.
"It's huge. Sometimes only a daily basis it's maybe around 300 or something like that, so it's a big difference," said manager Michelle Enriquez.
The big draw is Powerball, a national lottery game that has its biggest jackpot ever - $550 million.
It's the second biggest lotto jackpot ever in America.
And despite the dismal odds - each ticket has a 1 in 175,223,510 chance of winning the jackpot - it has sent people out in droves vying for a chance to win.
"Everybody thinks they're the lucky ones, they're the one that's going to be the next millionaire or the next multi-millionaire. It'd be nice," said lotto player Leona Merrow."
Enriquez says whenever a lottery jackpot exceeds even 250 million, ticket sales jump up at least 200%.
"Some customers come in thinking they're only contributing to someone else's winnings. But they still have that hope that they'll win," Enriquez said, right before admitting that she too will likely by a ticket for herself. "Yeah, my seven year old even wants me to buy him one!"
