By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Michael and Sue Hunt of Blue Ash don't usually play Powerball, but they couldn't pass up the chance at the ultimate Christmas gift for their four children and five grandchildren.

"It would be just unimaginable if we won," said 52-year-old Mr. Hunt, who bought tickets in Kentucky and Indiana.

The drawing for the $280 million prize will be held Christmas Day, and Tristate vendors say people are stocking up on their tickets. The cash option will be an estimated $151.4 million.

Wednesday's jackpot marks the third largest in Powerball history and would rank fifth all-time among the world's largest jackpots, according to the Powerball Web site.

"We're right across the river, so we got all the traffic," said Jeremy Holtzclaw, a clerk at the Shell Gas Station/ Ameristop in Covington. "It'll be lined up out the door on Powerball day."

The store saw about $15,000 in sales on Saturday before that evening's drawing for $215 million, he said.

No one won over the weekend, marking the 16th consecutive time no one claimed the top prize since this jackpot run started in late October, according to the Powerball Web site.

The game is played in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The anticipation for the holiday drawing was the buzz among many ticketholders Sunday night.

"I'm like most people: I'd give some back, but then I'd definitely retire," said Covington's Tricia Schmidt, a restaurant manager who's been playing the odds for two weeks. "Christmas Day makes it an even better story, I think."

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com