QUAD CITIES - Thousands of people across the Quad Cities bought tickets Wednesday as part of the Powerball $550 million jackpot.
The winning numbers Wednesday were 5-16-22-23-29, and the Powerball number was 6. The announcement came at about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Mother Hubbard's Cupboard on Hickory Grove Road in Davenport had sold more than 640 Powerball tickets alone by 5:45 p.m. Wednesday. The line at the counter often snaked around the store Wednesday.
"Well if you don't play, you're not going to win," Davenport resident Bob McKinzey said. "The chances of getting struck by lightning are a lot better than winning the Powerball."
In fact, McKinzey is correct. As previously reported, the chances of winning the jackpot are fewer than 1 in 175 million. According to Harvard Public Health, the chance of a person being killed by a lightning strike is 58 times more likely.
"Hopefully we'll win," Davenport resident Pam Richardson said. "I would love to be able to pay my house off, and be able to retire next year."
Richardson bought 15 tickets alone Wednesday. She's also a part of three different groups of friends and co-workers that say they would split the money.
"Just get bills paid off," she said. "That would be great. There's a bunch of us in the group who could use that. I'd love to retire."
Wednesday's drawing was the second largest jackpot in U.S. history. Nationally, Powerball sales are expected to reach $5 billion.