Many scramble for Powerball tickets

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - Millions of people across the country Wednesday scrambled to get their hands on what they hoped would be the winning Powerball ticket and a $550 million dollar jackpot.

Carl Roy who owns the Country Trading Post told 22News they'd likely sell around 5-thousand Powerball tickets Wednesday. The chances might be slim, but that didn't stop people from dreaming big.

Wednesday night's $550 million dollar jackpot is the largest in the game's two-decade history. Nationwide, it's estimated the 2-dollar tickets were selling at 105-thousand per minute.

Your chances of winning are around 1 in 175 million; but somebody has to win, and that has brought plenty of people in today to try their luck at bringing home the jackpot.

“The kids would get a stay at home mom, I wouldn't have to worry about bills, paying the credit card, going to work everyday. Getting them a sitter. It'd be nice,” said Sarah Burek of Ludlow.

“Tomorrow I'd go to work probably walk in, tell them I quit and walk out. Then I'd go to Boston and see what I had to do to collect,” said Tom Bak of Chicopee.

In the holiday spirit, many people dreamt of how they'd give their winnings.

“I would share my money with everybody that I know. Buy my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews new houses,” said Donna Smola of Chicopee.

42 percent of all Massachusetts Powerball ticket sales are net profit that gets returned to cities and towns across the state. The game has generated more than 12 million dollars in state aid.