News

Actions

Utahns travel to Wyoming for shot at $570 million Powerball jackpot

Posted at 5:58 PM, Jan 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-07 10:40:12-05

EVANSTON, Wyo. – Many Utahns are traveling across the state line to take their chance at buying a winning Powerball ticket.

Customers from Utah flooded a Maverik convenience store in Evanston, Wyoming on Saturday.

“Quite a lot,” said Irene Troskie, the manager of the store. “Whether they are passing through or coming up specifically for the lottery, we get quite a bit from Utah.”

And all of those out-of-state customers make for brisk sales at the store.

“It’s been kind of crazy, we’ve had four registers going,” Troskie said.

The odds of winning the more than $570 million jackpot are about one in 292 million, but that didn’t prevent Joann Jessop from making the drive from Draper to buy a ticket.

“I’m going to be the next millionaire,” Jessop said. “Someone’s got to win, right? Might as well be me.”

Skyler Rowe of Murray, who drove to Evanston with his wife, echoed Jessop’s sentiments.

“My wife always jokes with me, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning twice, more than you would the Powerball,” Rowe said. “Might as well come up here and try."

The winning numbers will be drawn at 8:59 PM Mountain Time. If no one chooses the winning numbers, the Maverik store in Evanston could see even more people from Utah making the trek to buy tickets for Wednesday’s drawing.