COLUMBIA COUNTY – The Powerball Jackpot has reached at least the $320 million mark and many are rushing out hoping to buy the winning ticket. One group or workers in Bloomsburg has been trying to hit the jackpot for about three decades.
Hidden away in a small cigar box, workers at the Bloomsburg Municipal Sewer Authority have years worth of losing lottery tickets. Bill Haas has worked at the sewer authority in Bloomsburg for 31 years and says the weekly lottery pool began more than a quarter century ago.
"We didn`t start off with the Powerball, it was I think Super 7 was the thing that started out and then when the Powerball came we switched over to that,” said Haas.
Each week nine of the ten workers here in Columbia County pitch in four dollars and hope for the best, including this week’s $320 million Powerball jackpot.
“Oh heavens yeah, we speculate about it etc., dream, talk etc, oh yeah we do, how fast we`d be out of here,” said Bloomsburg Municipal Sewer Authority worker Mark Tappe.
Workers say this plant would be empty for sure if they hit it big, but otherwise no one has any big plans.
"Oh I don`t know, enough to let me retire and go do what I want to do, whatever that`ll take,” said Bloomsburg Municipal Sewer Authority worker Michael Barratt.
Many of these losing lottery tickets were purchased at the Fuel On Convenient Store in Bloomsburg, where even workers say they`re rooting for their regulars to be the next big winner.
"We might get close like $1,000 or $2,000 but never any of the big ones, we`re always hoping to see one," said Store Manager John Karcher.
The Bloomsburg sewer workers say they let the computer pick their numbers and have a total of 18 picks per week. For many workers that adds up to about $3,000 worth of losing lottery tickets, but they can’t imagine dropping out.
"Well because if I drop out and they hit it I would feel bad,” said Barratt.
"I mean there`s always that chance of winning," said Tappe.
You have until Saturday to pick up tickets for the latest big Powerball jackpot.