What would/could Houstonians buy with the $1 billion Powerball jackpot?
HOUSTON - Monday night's Powerball jackpot has hit $1 billion. It's just the second time the top prize has grown this high, leaving a lot of people dreaming about what they’d do with the winnings.
BACKGROUND: READ MORE: What are the 10 largest lottery jackpots ever won in the US?
Topping the list of things many people are dreaming about buying with the $1 billion Powerball prize is a backyard swimming pool but with a billion bucks, at $100,000 each you could actually buy 10,000 backyard pools.
"I got my tickets already, right here" says Adam as he pats his back pocket.
With that one tiny ticket, Adam and the rest of the lottery playing population are fantasizing about having the six numbers that would change their lives in one billion different ways.
"It’s fun to dream. You never know," smiles Carmina.
Someone at Kroger on West Lake Houston Parkway actually matched 5 of the 6 Powerball numbers Saturday and won a million dollars. "I know. I saw it. I was so excited for them. Whoever you are I’m happy for you," says Lisseth.
READ MORE: What are the 10 largest lottery jackpots ever won in the US?
If you win the one billion dollar Powerball jackpot you could buy more than 80 fancy $10 million Rolls-Royce’s or about the same number of luxury penthouses. For example, at $4,000 a pop you could get 250,000 of your closest friends first baseline World Series tickets but most have their own dreams about what they’d spend the money on.
"Uh a G wagon. Immediately," Eric says.
"I could probably buy an airplane and I would go to church more because I usually play golf on Sunday mornings. So now I could play golf anywhere in the world and probably buy my own church. Right dear?" says Ron Ely standing with his wife Carolyn of 48 years. "She says she would buy a new car for herself and get my old truck painted," he laughs.
"I would buy a castle," says 6-year-old Emmarie and her mom Lisseth adds with a laugh "Sure we’ll be the princesses".
Houstonian Joy Adams says she has everything she needs, so I tried to tempt her. "Would you buy a Ferrari?" I asked "No," she answers. "A beach house? A Yacht?" "No and no" she answers. Your own island? "Maybe," she laughs. "I would like having my own island."
Retirees Adam and his wife Armida were fishing from the shoreline, and they know exactly what they would buy. "A boat. (And you would fish from the boat?) Right off the boat. I’d be way out there".
So what is the one thing a billion dollars can not buy? "It can’t buy your way into Heaven," says Houstonian Reginald Adams. "It doesn’t help you find love, and you can’t buy happiness," Adams adds.
A billion bucks also will not buy you the Houston Astros. The team is valued at nearly $2 billion.
The Powerball drawing is Monday at 10 p.m.