Powerball dreams grow with size of jackpot
By Frank Abderholden fabderholden@stmedianetwork.com February 10, 2012 6:50PM
Gregg Pahlke of Antioch holds up a Powerball ticket at the J & S BP gas station in Antioch on Friday. The Powerball jackpot was up to $310 million on Friday. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
A $310 million jackpot
So what could you buy with your winnings if you won the $310 million jackpot, which has a cash value of $193.4 million?
Of course, the odds are 1 in 175,223,510, or as one gas station cashier said: “You’re more likely to get struck by lightning with an alien on your shoulder than win the lottery.”
But if you won, you could buy more than 60 million Happy Meals at McDonald’s for $3.19 plus tax and pass them out to all your friends and their families every day for the next couple of decades. For a million dollars you could buy 307,692 Big Macs at roughly $3.25 plus tax, leaving you $192.4 million left for soft drinks.
You could go green by buying 1,930 Tesla Roadster electric cars that sell for $100,000 and give them away at rest stops on interstates across the nations. Or buy 8,083 Toyota Priuses at the base price of $24,000.
You could buy 319,008 shares of Google at $605 a piece, which seems like a lot until you find out there are 14,159,265 shares in existence.
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Updated: April 11, 2012 1:43AM
Powerball fever peaked on Wednesday, and when no one won, it peaked again Friday with more than $310 million at stake in today’s 9:59 p.m. drawing.
“I had people spending $60 for tickets on Wednesday when it was $250 million,” said PJ Singh, 22, of Island Lake who works as a cashier at J & S BP at routes 173 and 59 in Antioch.
“It’s going to be busy again Saturday until the drawing,” he said.
“They always ask ‘Is this the winning ticket?’ and I say, ‘If I knew it was the winning ticket, I’d keep it for myself,” Singh said with a laugh.
Over at Bernie’s Antioch Marathon, Bernie Gunty has seen a lot in his 31 years in the service station business.
“We’ve had some $1,000 winners and Little Lotto winners,” he said, “but I’m still waiting for the grand daddy.” The big winner that would give him 1 percent of the total for selling the $2 ticket.
If that happened would he retire?
”I don’t think so. I have an 11-year-old that will keep me going,” he said.
Bobbie Cunnally of Antioch is a regular Powerball player.
“Today could be my lucky day,” she said Friday. If she wins, she’ll pay bills and take a trip. “Maybe Las Vegas, but not to gamble.”
Bob Steffenhagen, 51, of Trevor, Wis., said he plays anytime the game goes over $50 million. He had a friend who won $17.5 million.
If he won, “I wouldn’t be greedy,” he said. “I like to help people, so I would take care of my family and then help some people who really need it. I love giving more than receiving.”
As a single mother with five kids, Amber Prevost, 30, of Pell Lake, Wis., who just moved here from Florida, said, “I could do something with that ($310 million).”
If she won she would help her mom, Patty Nimmo, who has stage four cancer. “She has some dreams and we would do that,” she said, adding they often talked about what they would do if they won.
“I’d also set up five college funds and buy a house instead of renting. And I’d give back to my church and people who have helped me in the past,” she said.
Gregg Pahlke, 47, of Antioch likes to play various lottery games and he won $10,000 on a Pick 4 game last October. What if he won the big one?
“I’d continue to work, take care of my parents,” he said. He was off once for back surgery and after awhile, sitting around was driving him stir crazy. That’s why he would keep working.
“How long could you do nothing before you got tired of it?” he asked.
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