Manitobans line up to win $1.4B Powerball jackpot - Action News
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Manitoba

Manitobans line up to win $1.4B Powerball jackpot

Manitobans are crossing the U.S. border to try their luck at winning more than a billion dollars, the world's largest lottery jackpot. Over the weekend about half of Canada drove down to buy Powerball tickets, joked Lee Johnson, an employee at Gastrak in Pembina, N.D.

'Half of Canada' came down to enter Powerball draw, North Dakota gas station employee jokes

The $1.4-billion Powerball jackpot is so unusual that billboards and other signs around the U.S. have to advertise it as sitting at $999 million. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

Manitobans are crossing the U.S. border to try their luck at winning more than a billion dollars, the world's largest lottery jackpot.

Over the weekend "about half of Canada" drove downto buy Powerball tickets, joked Lee Johnson, an employee at Gastrak in Pembina, N.D. The top prize was at $1.4 billion on Tuesday morning.

"Yesterday was crazy in here. We pretty much had a small lineup all day long," he said.

Powerball draws take place every Wednesay and Saturday, at 9:59p.m. CT. Lottery officials determine the winning six numbers by drawingfive white balls from a drum of 69 balls and one red ball from a drum of 26 balls.

Many of the Manitoban gamblers asked questions about how the Powerball game works, said Johnson.

"They're used to the 6/49, which has packages. We don't have packages, just whatever amounts you want," he said.

Powerball tickets sell for $2, or $3 with thePower Play add-on, which multiplies all winnings except the top two prizes.

"You got a better chance of being hit by lightning but for two bucks, what the heck," Johnson said.