Powerball Fever Sweeps Nation as Jackpot Soars to $600 Million

Millions of Americans chase dream of winning largest prize in Powerball history.

That condition’s sweeping the nation, Powerball fever’s spreading tonight. Millions of Americans and a dream and now a record Powerball Jackpot. In California tonight, this is their first powerball, helps to explain you the line like this one in Hawthorne in LA. Tonight Jackpot is now estimated 600 million dollars, and the odds of winning, one in 175.2 million. And at this point because so many Americans have bought tickets,80% of all possible combinations have already been chosen. ABC's John Schriffen on the finger's cross, in homes across America tonight and right here in the studio, John’s in California.

This is the sound heard around the country tonight. Powerball tickets speeding out as fast as possible for the record 600 million dollar Jackpot.

What' your strategy?

I'm interested in the quick pick, and I did some birthdays, a few prayers.

Here in H,California, bluebird Liquor is considered the luckiest store in the entire state, crowning 6 different millionaires. That's why you can see here behind me, a line for powerball tickets stretches all the way down the block.

How long have you been waiting on this line?

I will say at least I spent an hour and a half, but it feels like forever.

Is it worthy?

I,I hope so.

With all the excitements comes plenty of security. Here inside the fort in Florida with the number will be drawn tonight, officials are taking no chances, making sure of the lottery scandal of 1980 when the balls were waited with late paints so that they would fall on specific order doesn't happen again. But if no one wins tonight, the next Jackpot will be close to a billion dollars, leaving lottery officials with a minor issue.

We know that's really a problem for us because most of the signs out there go to 999.

If that does happen, bluebird here says it will happily handwrite a sign for a billion dollars and is that possible? Lottery officials say only 20% of the possible combinations still have not been purchased.