Canadian gamblers count down to $1.5B Powerball draw

A Manitoban could be the winner of the world's largest lottery Wednesday night when the $1.5 billion US Powerball jackpot draw, worth $1.3 billion in Canadian dollars after tax, takes place.

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As many as 1,000 Manitobans stopped at a single Gastrak in Pembina, N.D., on Tuesday, employee Jim Fron said.

"Nobody buys one ticket," said Fron. "We had one person buy $930 worth [of tickets]."

At least 90 per cent of the gas station's customers are Canadian, said Fron.

It's the same story at the Duty Free Americas convenience store in Pembina, N.D., said employee Jam Weleski

'It's extremely busy for January," Weleski said. It's even more unusual when you consider how low the Canadian dollar is, she added. 

Wally Welechenko of Winnipeg said he hopes someone from Canada wins.

Welechenko, 49, decided to turn a trip across the border to buy tickets into a family affair. He travelled to Pembina with his two daughters and future son-in-law.

"Make it a fun road trip. If you don't play, you can't win, right? You got to take that chance," Welechenko said. 

"Talking to the Canadian border guards, they said there was a constant flow of people going through. They said the average person is spending about $200 in tickets, so there's a lot of tickets coming back to Canada," he said.