ANDERSON, Ind. —
With the second-largest Powerball payout in U.S. history up for grabs, many who don’t normally dish out the dough for a lottery ticket were doing just that Wednesday afternoon.
By late Wednesday evening, the jackpot jumped to $580 million after officials said brisk sales kept driving up the payout amount.
People across Anderson stopped in at locations like Ricker's and Village Pantry to grab theirs.
Ellen Hess, 39, said the Powerball winning would provide a sense of security and allow her to do things she’s always wanted to do, such as take a European vacation.
“I’d never have to work another day in my life. I know that,” she said.
She stated she wasn’t even planning to buy a ticket until her daughter talked her into it, adding she’d share some of the cash with her family.
“People dream big, but I think most wouldn’t really know what to do with it until they got it,” she said. “If even then.”
With a $550 million jackpot, a winner taking the cash option would get $360.2 million before taxes. But the odds of winning were 1 in 175 million.
Mike Jones, Ricker's merchandise manager, said that by Tuesday, Rickers’ Powerball sales had increased by 442 percent from the Tuesday prior.
“The fever is out there,” he said.
As the Powerball figure rises, “people get more and more excited,” he said, and those who don’t typically buy tickets will do so.
There are Ricker's locations that sell more lottery tickets on a regular basis than others, he said, but with the Powerball so high, locations all over became lottery sites.
“It’s crazy across the board,” he said.
And Jones said Ricker's is hopeful that people will buy other items while they stand in line, too, since the convenience chain receives just a very small portion of lottery sales.
But the longer lines provide a “double-edged sword,” he said, as those going in to purchase other items may get annoyed and leave.
Aaron Dodson, 32, said he doesn’t typically buy lottery tickets and that he knows he doesn’t stand much chance, but at $2 a ticket, “it was worth a shot.”
“When you’re scraping to get by day after day, $500 million-plus sounds pretty good, you know,” he said, laughing.
Dodson said he’d use the money to take care of his family and “be set.”
Powerball officials said they believed there was a 75 percent chance the winning combination of numbers would be drawn Wednesday night.
Barbara Hatten, 56, said she’d use the money to take care of her grandchildren, to ensure they have “a bright future.” She’d also move someplace warm — she added she’s a “fan of Florida” — and give to a few charities.
“There’s absolutely no way I’d be able to use that all on myself,” she said. “There are many others in need.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Find Dani Palmer on Facebook and @DaniPalmer_THB on Twitter, or call 640-4847.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Denise Fosnaugh buys Powerball tickets for the first time from cashier Kyle Houdek at the Ninth Street Ricker's on Wednesday. Powerball tickets sales were brisk at the convenience store as the jackpot increased to $550 million ahead of Wednesday night's drawing. Don Knight
-
Miranda Rider prints a Powerball ticket for a customer at the Ninth Street Ricker's on Wednesday. Powerball tickets sales were brisk at the Ninth Street Ricker's as the jackpot increased to $550 million ahead of Wednesday night's drawing. Don Knight
-
Miranda Rider prints a Powerball ticket for a customer at the Ninth Street Ricker's on Wednesday. Powerball tickets sales were brisk at the Ninth Street Ricker's as the jackpot increased to $550 million ahead of Wednesday night's drawing. Don Knight
Discussion
Taking a chance
Second-largest Powerball payout pushes ticket sales
- Local News
-
-
Wounded veteran gets a new home
Tim Senkowski is looking forward to eating Thanksgiving dinner with his family in his new home.
-
Arrest Log: May 20
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Friday and Saturday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
What's Where: May 20
Local meetings and activities are scheduled Monday.
-
News of Record: Divorce and bankruptcy filings
Divorce filings and bankruptcy filings recently for Madison County, as published Sunday in The Herald Bulletin:
-
EMA: Possibility of earthquake not as rare as perceived
We’re in Central Indiana, so the possibility of a major earthquake ravaging the area is pretty remote, right? It might not be as unlikely as you think.
-
“Paddle protest” travels White River
A rainy morning did not keep about 50 environmentalists from kayaking and canoeing Saturday in protest of the proposed Mounds Lake Reservoir.
-
Arrest log: May 19
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Friday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
Arrest log: May 18
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
Willowcrest Park ‘first of its kind’
A vision Rob Loose conceived 11 years ago became reality Friday.
Loose, the president of Loose Funeral Homes and Crematory, christened The Gardens at Willowcrest Park, the state’s first stand-alone cremation garden. Loose and his wife Jane hosted the opening ceremony behind the funeral home and next to the new garden. -
Ravens run into buzzsaw in Round 1 of Div. III Softball World Series
Anderson University's softball team lost its first game of the NCAA Div. III Softball World Series 8-1 to Luther University (Iowa) today in Eau Claire, Wis.
- More Local News Headlines
-
