Paul: It only takes one ticket to win

Rebecca Paul, Georgia Lottery Commission

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ATLANTA (CNN) -- The jackpot for Tuesday's Big Game multi-state lottery drawing has grown to $325 million -- the second largest prize in U.S. history.

People in seven states waited in long lines for a chance -- a very small chance -- of winning.

Georgia Lottery Commission President Rebecca Paul discussed the Big Game jackpot with CNN's Daryn Kagan and Leon Harris.

CNN: People are going crazy with this stuff, how many tickets are being sold?

PAUL: Well, in Georgia alone, we will do 1.5 million an hour at peak tonight. We expect to sell well over 150 million tickets in the seven states combined since Friday night's drawing.

CNN: Is that a record?

PAUL: Well, close. The record jackpot was $363 million a couple of years ago, and this one, we expect to be right at or slightly above $325 million. It's real close to the $363 million jackpot. And with that many tickets being sold, of course the real winners are the programs that we fund in the various states... scholarships.

CNN: A lot of kids going to school on that. And you are selling dreams too. I mean, really when somebody goes and puts their dollar down, but you do encourage people to play responsibly.

PAUL: Sure. It only takes one ticket to win, and if you are first-time player, don't forget there are nine different ways to win. Friday night alone over $20 million was awarded to over 4 million people; 44 people won 150,000. So don't throw your tickets out if you don't win $325 million.

CNN: What about the critique that the lottery is really a tax on the poor? That the people who really play are the people who can't afford to play.

PAUL: Well, what happens when you get jackpot this big is virtually everyone plays. Almost anyone, $225 million is worth standing in line for. So jackpots of this size bring in the... So it brings in everybody when you get jackpots this big.

CNN: Now, incredibly this could get even bigger, because the game is getting bigger. It's spreading to New York state and to Ohio.

PAUL: May 15, tickets will go on sale in New York and Ohio. And then in September, Washington state is going to join us. So the Big Game is getting even bigger. And if it rolls tonight, it will be even bigger. If it rolls tonight, we probably would start somewhere near $400 million, so...

CNN: That's crazy.

PAUL: There's a 90 percent chance of a winner tonight.

CNN: Well, I was going to ask you about that. The chances of actually having a winner, do they increase or do they stay the same?

PAUL: The odds of an individual winning remain the same. The odds of one in 76 million regardless of what the jackpot is, because there are that many combinations. The odds of someone choosing the winning ticket grows as more people play.

CNN: Do quick picks win more than when people pick their own individual numbers?

PAUL: It pretty much depends on how people play. When 30 percent of the plays are quick picks, 30 percent of your winners will be. If 70 percent of the plays are quick picks, 70 percent of your winners will be. And when you get a jackpot this big, we have a much higher percentage of quick pick play than we do our regular player week in and week out who plays their birthdays or their anniversaries.