Thousands flock to Michiana lotto stores

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The chance to win it all brought thousands of folks to Michiana lotto stores today.

"Hey, with big bucks like that, you gotta give it a shot," Verle Majied, a customer, said.

Many took the two dollar bet to win more than half a billion dollars.

While the odds of winning are slim, businesses reeled in the bucks.

"I just had a customer not too long ago drop a $150," Erin Bowerman, a clerk at Smoke Shop in South Bend, said.

She sold five times the amount of tickets she normally does on Wednesday.

"I had one customer want me to kiss the ticket," Bowerman said.

Places like Joey Armadillo's in Niles saw an increase too.

They're having a Facebook promotion to share the winnings.

"Usually it's for poker, or bowling or the restaurant," Joel Ealy, Manager of Joey Armadillo's, said. "Today, it's just 'do you guys sell Powerball? I want to see where the Powerball is.'"

Tony's Mobil gas station in South Bend sold close to 1,000 tickets.

Customers said if nothing else, two dollars is a cheap price to pay for a dream.

"I'd probably spend a little time in the south of France trying to figure out how to spend the rest of it," Majied said.

The winning Powerball numbers worth $579.9 million, are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29, with a Powerball number of 6.