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As the estimated Powerball jackpot payout tops $1.6 billion, more and more people are buying tickets in hopes of choosing the right numbers for the jackpot prize. However, some Americans must go to extra measures to secure a ticket.
Powerball tickets didn't produce a jackpot winner after Saturday, Monday and Wednesday drawings. The jackpot rises each time a winner isn't named and has since reached $1.6 billion, which is estimated to be the largest jackpot in Powerball history. The next draw for the mega prize is Saturday.
Americans in five states must secure tickets in unorthodox ways as Utah, Nevada, Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii don't participate in the lottery. Residents in those states can still win, but they must buy tickets from a state participating in the game. Players will cross state borders to purchase tickets from neighboring states or, in the case of Alaska and Hawaii, purchase tickets while traveling or ask friends and family to purchase tickets on their behalf in states offering the lottery.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported about Keith Gibbons, an Anchorage, Alaska, resident, who failed to buy a Powerball ticket when visiting New York earlier this week.
"I need a ticket," Gibbons said when told by the AP about how much the Powerball is.
In 2016, a day before a player won the largest jackpot in Powerball history, KHON, a local news station in Hawaii, reported at the time on how Hawaiians could buy a ticket. Residents are welcome to purchase a ticket from other states, but if they happen to win the lottery, they will have to pay extra state taxes on their winnings.
Meanwhile, some gas stations and other places selling lottery tickets capitalize on the inconvenience. Idaho-based KJ's Kwik Stop is an 11-minute drive from the Utah border. Its website urged residents to take the trip for a chance at winning the lottery.
"Just because Utah doesn't participate in the lottery doesn't mean you can't!" its website said.
Jeff Green, the store's manager, told Newsweek that probably 75 to 80 percent of lottery players buying tickets at the store are from Utah, and added that lottery buyers tend to increase when the jackpot rises over $600 or $700 million.
"The higher the jackpot gets, the busier we get," he said. "We actually like it because we get a lot of business from Utah."
Green said Utah customers aren't so fond of the hassle, however.
"Of course they would like to have it in their state," he added. "But I don't know if they ever will."
Sometimes the effort proves to be lucrative. In 2011, a Utah man matched the first five numbers, but not the Powerball, netting him $200,000 after buying a ticket in Idaho, according to lottery.net.
Most of the states outlawing the lottery are Republican. The AP reported that usually, reasons such as opposition from churches, concerns about impacting low-income families or not wanting to muddy existing gaming operations back the states' reasons for not participating in the game.
Meanwhile, some residents and organizations say the lottery is a waste of money or not worth the trouble of gaming laws, but many states use lottery sale proceeds to cushion good causes.
Georgia Lottery's website boasts raising more than $24.9 billion for Georgia schools. Meanwhile, California Lottery's proceeds also benefit public schools, according to its website. Idaho Lottery donates to public education and State of Idaho's building infrastructure, such as public universities.
Newsweek reached out to several lottery corporations for comment.
Update 11/4/2022, 1:22 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include the new Powerball jackpot payout of $1.6 billion.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more