By CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Senior Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

AS THE government continued yesterday to mull over exactly what it would asked the Bahamian people about gambling on referendum day, scores of Bahamians sat salivating over their Powerball (lottery) tickets.

They hoped against hope – along with millions of Americans – that their number would be called to win $550 million.
 While “Black Friday” found many Bahamians in malls in the US, getting a jump-start (and finish) on Christmas shopping, there was one thing they also couldn’t or wouldn’t overlook – America’s Powerball jackpot was growing to record numbers.
And so, after they picked up three French Hens, two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear tree at the mall, they rushed over to the nearest 7-Eleven (most likely on the way to the airport) to drop $50 on Powerball tickets.

The social media site Facebook was awash yesterday with Bahamian’s already ill-fated dreams of owning a chateaux in the South of France, buying a private island in the Bahamas or telling ones employer to go “take a hike”, all in the hopes that they would be ripped out of the “47%” overnight.

However, because reality loves to dish out a good backhand now and then, a CNN article posted yesterday revealed that “the chance of a ticket winning a Powerball jackpot is 1 in 175,223,510”. Chances are it won’t be (and wasn’t) you.

Still, one person said confidently: “This could be my last day at work.”

Other individuals, who forgot to call-up their aunty in Miami to tell her to buy them a ticket, hashed deals with their friends who had wisely bought tickets – just in case.

While everyone sat sweating, praying, and enshrining their Powerball stubs last night, I wondered how many people were honest with themselves about their stance on gambling.
Maybe this Powerball fever will help the government to gamble on suitable referendum questions.

One question, it seems, Bahamians typically answer in the affirmative though: “You want me to get you couple ticket while I over there?”