AUSTIN -- If you've ever thought about buying a lottery ticket, Saturday may be the day to do it. The little piece of paper could be someone's ticket to $325 million.
Saturday's jackpot is the largest up for grabs since Texas started the Powerball game two years ago. The Texas Lottery is making sure everyone knows about it. There are billboards and advertisements all around town announcing the $325 million prize.
The actual cash value of the winning is $202.9 million, and the odds of winning something aren't too shabby. One in 32 people will win some sort of cash prize.
The odds of winning the actual jackpot are a little more steep -- one in 175 million, but people still went to their local convenience stores to buy their tickets and test their luck.
"Everybody always comes and buys a lottery ticket, its like a must here," said Valero cashier Brenda Renteria. "They spend so much money here, it's ridiculous. Now the jackpot, we had several come in around this time, but early in the morning, it's like ridiculous."
Even Renteria couldn't resist the urge to play.
The Texas Lottery credits the large jackpot to changes it made to the Powerball game in January.
It decreased the number of Powerballs from 39 to 35. Officials said more people have been buying tickets.
Texans had until 9 p.m. to get their hands on a ticket for the 10:12 p.m. drawing.
