With tonight's Powerball jackpot at $130 million — the game's fifth largest prize ever — Greater Cincinnati sales are brisk in the multistate lottery.

        “I figure our Powerball sales have probably tripled since the jackpot hit $92 million,” said Sean Cason, assistant manager at Crescent Springs Tobacco.

        Tristate residents aren't alone when it comes to playing the lottery offered in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

Kama Schneider (left), of Amelia, fills out a Powerball card in Bellevue on Tuesday. Watching is her mother-in-law, Mary Ann Schneider. (Enquirer photo) | ZOOM |

        For the past six drawings, Kentucky has been No. 1 in Powerball ticket sales, said Heather Schutte, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Lottery Corp.
       

No state sells more
        Last week, Kentucky sold $6.17 million in Powerball tickets — more than any other state, Mrs. Schutte said.

        “I don't know why our sales are so big,” she said. “Our players really start coming out when the jackpots get big.”

        Of the seven states bordering Kentucky, four — Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois and Virginia — don't participate in Powerball.
       

Astronomical odds
        Tonight's jackpot would go to the holder of a ticket matching all five numbers and the Powerball. Paid out over 25 years, the $130 million would come to $5.2 million a year.

        A sole winner who chooses the cash option would pocket $70.2 million.

        The Multistate Lottery Association cautions that the odds of winning are 80 million to one.

        “Somebody's got to win, but it won't be me,” said Phil Behme, 32, of Elsmere. “You've got as good a chance of winning (Powerball) as being struck by lightning, and I've never been struck by lightning.”
       

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