Powerball jackpot builds to $325M for Saturday
A vendor, left, receives money for a lottery purchase on Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 in New York. The jackpot for Powerball's weekend drawing has climbed to $325 million, the fourth-largest in the game's history. Powerball organizers say this is the first run-up to a large jackpot that's fallen over a major holiday. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
DES MOINES, Iowa >> Chicago resident Clyde Gadlin says Saturday’s $325 million Powerball drawing gives him a chance to dream.
The 65-year-old stopped today at a 7-Eleven on shopper-swarmed Michigan Avenue to buy his daily batch of lottery tickets, including Powerball.
The jackpot is the fourth-largest in the game’s history. A single winner’s cash payout would be nearly $213 million before taxes.
Powerball jackpots have increased more rapidly since the price doubled to $2 in January.
Gadlin says if he wins, he’d move back to his grandfather’s farm in Mississippi where he spent part of his childhood. He hasn’t been there for more than 20 years.
Powerball organizers say this is the first run-up to a large jackpot that’s fallen over a major holiday. They’re unsure whether it will help or hinder sales.
