As the Powerball jackpot grows, so does anticipation in the Carolinas

NORTH CAROLINA — The Powerball prize has soared to $1.2 billion, and no winner Monday night means the jackpot is going to keep climbing.

Channel 9′s Almiya White spoke with Charlotte residents who said they’re giving the Powerball another shot -- including Michael Alexander, who didn’t strike rich yet but is hoping to.

“I’m going to make sure all my family is taken care of, and I will make sure the church that I reside in is taken care of,” he said.

No ticket matched all six numbers from Monday night’s drawing so now, the jackpot has topped $1 billion.

“I feel good about my chances,” Alexander said. “Lightning only strikes once. So I bought two, so hoping that one of these is the winning number.”

As the jackpot grows, so are sales at the Citgo store Rashaad Muwakhil manages in north Charlotte.

“We sold maybe about $3,000 dollars’ worth just Powerball tickets alone,” Muwakhil said. “And maybe this weekend, Sunday that I know of, maybe like $2,000.”

>> Don’t miss the drawing. It happens LIVE at 10:59 p.m., Wednesday on Channel 9.

He told White he’s not playing the lottery himself, but he enjoys seeing his customers take their shots. He’s also rooting for the winning ticket to be local.

“I would love to see someone in North Carolina win the big one,” Muwakhil said.

Excitement builds in the NC foothills for $1 billion Powerball jackpot

One lucky lottery player was almost in for a very big treat this Halloween.

On Monday, the Powerball had grown to an estimated $1 billion jackpot and stores across the North Carolina foothills saw a big jump in sales.

It’s the second-largest Powerball ever, as it has continued to grow during the last three months with no winners.

The winning numbers for Monday’s drawing were 13, 19, 36, 39, 59 and the red Powerball was 13, according to lottery officials. The Power Play was 3.

“I think I would take us all on a big trip,” one woman told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty. “Yeah, maybe go to Europe. We’d go anywhere. We could go around the world, I think.”

(WATCH BELOW: The Powerball Lottery: What you need to know)

The Powerball Lottery: What you need to know Your odds at winning the jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million. (NCD)

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