Georgians try to cash in on Powerball's 3rd-largest prize in US history

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The Powerball jackpot is continuing to soar to nearly world record amounts after no one won Wednesday night's big jackpot.

There have been nearly 40 drawings without a winner, but people in the metro Atlanta area are holding out hope.

Tickets at one DeKalb County gas station are a hot commodity as everyone wants a piece of that $1.5 billion Powerball prize.

The winner could walk away with a lump sum of $745.9 million or $1.5 billion paid out annually over 29 years.

"I’m going to be a multi-billionaire – right?" Powerball player Terry Bethea said.

With that high of a jackpot on the line - the third largest ever in the United States - people are lining up for their shot at the life-changing money.

"I would definitely give back to my church—my school and help the community," Paige Scott said.

While some might already have plans for what they'd do with the winnings, the chances of getting all five white balls and that Powerball are pretty small. 

The lottery station inside ABC Liquor in Garden Grove, CA, on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

"That's something on the order of 1 out of 292 million," Goizueta Business School assistant professor of marketing David McCarthy said. "If you enjoy the act of buying a lottery ticket and part of the process then that’s great, but I wouldn’t expect to make any money off it."

It's a tiny chance, but players are still hoping to win big.

"You just gotta have faith - you know? You just never know," Scott said.

The numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 2, 11, 22, 35, 60 and the red powerball 23.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.