Canadian lotto hopefuls cross the border for Powerball tickets

In this Jan. 7, 2016 file photo, Paula Hunt fills in Powerball numbers for a customer at Bill's Kwik Chek in Chambersburg, Pa. (Markell DeLoatch / Public Opinion via AP)

Thousands of people from across the Lower Mainland are pouring across the border this weekend, but not for shopping.

They’re hoping to get a piece of the largest Powerball jackpot in U.S. history. The Saturday night draw has now hit a record-setting $800-million US – which works out to more than $1-billion Canadian.

A cashier at the Marketplace grocery store in Point Roberts, Washington, just 45 minutes south of Vancouver, says 95 per cent of its lotto ticket buyers are Canadian.

Dean Priestman said the lotto rush has another unintended side effect: It’s been great for business.

“[It] brings in a lot of people in that wouldn't ordinarily come in,” he said.

The odds of actually winning the Powerball jackpot is nearly impossible: One in 292 million. Compare that to the one in 14 million for the Lotto 6/49.

The taxman also gets a share of the winnings. Canadians can win, but 30 percent of the money will be automatically deducted.

Canadians can also get tickets without making the trek to the U.S. by buying online through a lottery reseller, but it’s not totally above board.

Washington lottery officials tell CTV News what resellers are doing is actually illegal in Washington State and federally.

Powerball is a multi-state lottery and some states are turning a blind eye to companies like Lottos Online. But Powerball and Washington State officials warn there's a risk going through a third-party because “there are no regulations of websites that claim to sell tickets or to sell you a ‘service’ to buy and hold tickets for you.”

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Mi-Jung Lee