Credit: Erich Martin/Levittownnow.com
With just hours the Powerball lottery drawing, swarms of people were out buying chances to take home the unbelievable jackpot sum of $1.5 billion at stores across Bucks County.
At Levitown News and Tobacco on South Oxford Valley Road in Falls Township, a steady stream of people moved through over the past few days, accruing chances to win enough money to be set for life, according to store employees.
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“I can see the crowds building,” Blanche Gottel said after she purchased her entries and five more people entered the store behind her.
Saying she would continue to work, Gottel said she would donate a lot of the money made from the lottery, if she won. Taking her five tickets, Gottel exited the shop excitedly, mentioning that “all five were winners.”
Donating to charity is apparently a common theme among Powerball players in the area.
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Brijesh Patel lives in Fairless Hills and explained that after investing some of the money, a lot of it would go to charity.
Although he has played the Powerball before, Patel joked that he has never won.
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Robert, who declined to offer his last name, mentioned that he plays the game when the jackpot starts getting big. His aspirations are similar to others playing the game.
“[First, I’m] paying debt off, buying a new house, putting money away for my kids, and then I’m going to take care of the rest of the family,” he said.
As for the stores selling the Powerball, the numbers have been constant in growing in recent days.
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Ashok Kaul works at the tobacco shop, and has seen first hand how the numbers have grown in the last few days.
“The last three, four days have been crazy. People are in a frenzy, people are going crazy trying to beat the odds,” Kaul said.
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The store may be lucky. Levittown resident Roger Custer won a $50 million Powerball jackpot on a ticket bought at Levittown News and Tobacco in December 2012. A few months before, a $100,000 scratch-off ticket was purchased at the shop.
The drawing is set to take place at 10:59 p.m. on MyPHL17.
