TALLAPOOSA — Crowds of hopefuls flocked to a Tallapoosa gas station Saturday for a shot at an estimated $1 billion Powerball jackpot .

Four miles from the Georgia-Alabama border — 50 miles west of Atlanta off I-20 — people showed up to wait in lines winding across the floor of Robinson and Sons.

Although the 24-hour gas station is in Georgia, Alabama license plates adorned the vast majority of cars in the parking lot.

That’s because Alabama and four other states do not run a state-operated lottery — which means, on big ticket days, some Alabama residents cross state lines and head to the Peach State.

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million, according to Powerball. But at a chance to win $1 billion, that’s a risk that these Alabamians are willing to take.

“If you ain

See Full Page