Ticket sales soar with $550M Powerball jackpot

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) --  There's a record Powerball jackpot up for grabs tonight. As people with dreams reach for their wallets, stores are getting ready for ticket rush.

"I want the right one," one woman said.

"How many tickets have you sold so far," the woman asked the cashier.

"A lot," the cashier said.

Forget about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Powerball Wednesday may be seeing record sales.

Folks are hoping to turn a $2 ticket into millions.

"That's a lot of money, there's no way for you to spend that much money. I'm giving...I already know I'm giving boat loads of money away," said Omuni Barnes, of New Haven.

Most say if they hit it big they'll share too, first with family.

"I would pay all the kids off, all five of them," said Billy Tappin, of New Haven. "Pay the wife off and let her go do what she wants to do."

If you think half a billion dollars is a lot of money just wait until the end of the day. Lottery officials say on this last day, the day of the drawing, they see 60 percent of their sales for that particular game and of course the more people who buy tickets the bigger the jackpot.

And the bigger the jackpot, the bigger the dreams, usually.

"And you'd be still driving this truck," asked News 8's Tina Detelj.

"Oh yeah, I"m not going to change anything," said Michael Ammons, of New Haven. "Probably get a motorcycle or something."

It's estimated among the 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands, Powerball sales could exceed six million an hour. Although News 8 did run into the rare person who passed on the chance to play.

"You know, I hadn't thought about it to be honest," said Karissa VanTassel, of New Haven.

"If you buy a ticket, anybody in the store, we all win with you so that would include you guys too," said Barnes.

"So that means if you win we get the money," said Detelj.

"Technically, if I bought a ticket," she replied.