A major record could be tied Saturday night, but many local residents are hoping they can be the one to keep that from happening.

If nobody wins the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot in Saturday’s drawing, it will tie the game record of 40 for the number of consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner.

Stores around the area were seeing a steady stream of ticket sales Friday.

“The Pennsylvania Lottery turns on the sales at 5:30 a.m. and from that point on we have customers in here buying until the end of the night,” said Magnolia Koch, employee at Carbon County Mini Mart on Delaware Avenue in Palmerton. “It’s extremely busy.”

The majority of players, she added, won’t wait until closer to Saturday night’s drawing.

“They’re already buying tickets and buying them in large quantities,” Koch said. “I have people come in asking for $200 worth of tickets. Our sales started to go up even before it hit $1.2 billion.”

There is no less of a sales volume in Tamaqua, where Lisa Hope of Our Family Mini Mart said customers continue to stop in as the day goes on.

“I think from 5-9 p.m. is probably our busiest time, but it’s steady throughout,” she said.

Dharna Patel of Lefflers Express in Jim Thorpe said while roadwork near the business on North Street is impacting business as a whole, both dedicated and new lottery players are still finding their way inside.

“You do see a lot of new people when the jackpot gets high,” Patel said. “Even if they don’t really know much about the lottery or know what they’re doing, they’ll come in for a prize like this one.”

Jackpot winners can get their prize as an annuity paid out over 29 years or as a lump-sum payment. The cash value of Saturday night’s jackpot before taxes will be at least an estimated $745.9 million.

If there is a sole winner, they would take home the second largest jackpot in history only behind the world record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot and the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot.

Everyone dreams of winning big money, but deciding what to do with it isn’t always as simple.

Jean Warner, 56, of Mahoning Township said there is no way she would keep it all if the balls bounce her way Saturday.

“I’d surely take a vacation or something like that, but I’d give to family as well,” Warner said after buying her ticket Friday in Lehighton. “I mean I’d definitely make sure all my bills are paid and I can live comfortably, but I couldn’t possibly spend all of that.”

Odds, however, are clearly stacked against and all Powerball players. The chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

“I feel like it’s worth it to take a chance,” Warner said. “You can’t win if you don’t play.”

Employees often get to hear about how customers would spend the money if they win. Patel said many of her patrons promise to treat the business that sold them the winning ticket well.

“We like hearing that,” Patel said. “And I’m sure they would because we have a great group of customers.”

Businesses also buy large groups of tickets when employees pool their money together.

“A lot of the buildings around here like Pen Tele Data, they’ll come in and buy a bunch of tickets at once,” Koch said.

There has been large group success in Carbon County before. Eleven Lehighton Area School District employees hit a $3.2 million Match 6 jackpot on a ticket bought at GIANT Food Store in Lehighton. Each winner took home approximately $290,911, less applicable tax withholding.

If there is no Powerball winner in Saturday’s drawing, the jackpot for Monday will be an estimated $1.9 billion, or $929.1 million cash.

Local players looking for a glimmer of hope can certainly lean on past results. The jackpot was last won on Aug. 3 by a Pennsylvania resident.