Long odds mean nothing when it’s for $1.5 billion

The latest Powerball jackpot is now up to $1.5 billion, setting off a frenzy of Americans rushing to convenience stores to purchase tickets.

The Multi-State Lottery Association says if there are no winners, the jackpot will roll over to $2bn on Saturday with a lump sum payout of $1.24bn.

Kelly Cripe of the Texas Lottery says 85.8 percent of possible number combinations have been selected ahead of the drawing scheduled for Wednesday evening.

If you match 5 white balls and not the Powerball, you’ll get $1 million.

According to the Minnesota State Lottery, a jackpot victor for the raffle drawn annually on New Year’s Day has yet to be claimed.

A Manitoban could be the victor of the world’s largest lottery Wednesday night when the $1.5 billion US Powerball jackpot draw, worth $1.3 billion in Canadian dollars after tax, takes place.

“It’s incredible; it’s insane”, said Milwaukee Wal-Mart worker Juan Galindo, 41, who sought to pump up his luck by purchasing tickets at three different locations in Wisconsin over the past two days.

In Kentucky, ticket sales last week soared over $15 million.

Roughly 95 percent of Powerball tickets are computer-generated quick picks, so people’s favorite numbers aren’t really a factor. On Sunday and Monday alone, California sold almost $43 million in Powerball tickets.

“People are coming in to buy Powerball tickets, but they’re also buying sodas, food, maybe gassing up at their gas pumps”, she said. It could take longer to figure out where any of those winning tickets were sold.

The drawing is officially scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET, and the Powerball website sill be offering a live stream of the event.

For the current Powerball run of 20 drawings, $50 million has been spent on tickets in Colorado.