As the pot for the national Powerball lottery grows so does interest from Butler County residents in buying tickets.

No jackpot winner was picked Wednesday in the $317 million Powerball drawing. The next drawing is Saturday night by the Multi-State Lottery Association.

The estimated payout for that drawing is $360 million.

That is causing county residents to buy more Powerball tickets.

Dave Stehle, owner of Thompson’s Country Market in West Sunbury, said he has seen the increase.

“It’s a pretty good size,” Stehle said.

He said Powerball buyers at his store have at least doubled.

Rick Casella, manager of the Sunoco and Valero gas stations on Main Street in Zelienople, said Powerball sales have been up “tremendously” recently.

While many people see either on TV or on a display in the store that the jackpot is high, employees still are told to spread the word, Casella said.

“I have the employees tell the customers, tell them the Powerball is high,” he said.

Mary Campbell, manager at Countrytown Gas Station on Route 8 in Butler Township, said sales have been up some days, but not every day.

“We have some customers who buy more when the prizes are higher,” she said.

Patrons can buy tickets at the register or at an instant lottery machine, so it’s hard to keep track of the exact number of sales.

“It’s in the afternoon and the evening when we sell more tickets, when they’re on their way home from work,” Campbell said.

Kathy Nicklas at the Good Guyz Mini Mart on Whitestown Road in Butler Township said that store has been busy selling tickets.

“(Wednesday) we had somebody at the lottery machine all day,” she said. “The lottery has been very busy.”

Nicklas said she also has hopes of winning it big.

“Oh, I’ve bought tickets,” she said.

Amy Spangler, a manager at W. Rick’s Taproom & Grill on Meridian Road in Butler Township, said there’s been a lot of lottery hype there.

“There’s all kinds of buzz about it. Everybody’s talking about it,” she said. “I work behind the bar, and everybody’s chit chatty.

“Anytime it gets like that there’s a big buzz.”

The restaurant sells Powerball and other lottery tickets through an automated machine.

Dale Schreffler, owner of Cal’s General Store in Portersville, said the store has been busy. He said the store did twice as many lottery sales on Tuesday as it normally does.

“I expect even more today. It’s going nuts. People are always dreaming,” Schreffler said Friday.

Until Wednesday’s drawing, there had been something of a big-time prize drought.

It has been nearly a year since a jackpot has been above $300 million.

Eagle staff writers Kate Malongowski, Will DeShong, Tom Victoria and John Bojarski contributed to this report.