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 Powerballjackpot 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 singleGastrak 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 areCanadian,said Fron.

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

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

WallyWelechenkoof Winnipegsaid he hopes someone from Canada wins.

Welechenko,49, decided to turna trip across the border to buy tickets into a family affair.He travelled toPembinawith his two daughters andfuture son-in-law.

"Make it a fun road trip. If you don't play, you can't win, right? You got totake 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.