The Powerball jackpot has reached $1 billion, marking only the sixth time in its 33-year history that it has hit this level. People in cities including Philadelphia, New York City, and Knightdale, North Carolina, have been sharing their plans for the possible winnings.
At a 7-Eleven in South Philadelphia, Sales Associate Khalil Dunston said he would buy his own island if he won the jackpot, while Marguerite Clemons from the same neighborhood said she would use the money to pay bills and move to a bigger home. In Knightdale, Kitty Sutherland told ABC11, "I'm going to donate a big part of it to my charities," and Phil Lebega said he was ready for the chance of wealth. Others, like Peggy Webb, described the lottery as an opportunity "Just so you can dream, that's all."
The Powerball jackpot reached $1 billion, leading to a surge in ticket sales across the country. In Astoria, a man named Mark said, "I don’t even need the full billion, just $100 million and I’d be happy," as reported by New York Post. Vanessa Foreman from South Philadelphia shared, "I’d make sure my church gets some cause God's been good to me." A 7-Eleven employee named Dunston also purchased a ticket, saying, "Let everybody else get their excitement out, then I'll check Monday morning and hopefully have a winner," according to 6abc. The winning numbers drawn on Saturday were 3, 18, 22, 27, 33, and the Powerball 17, with odds of one in 292 million.
