Ripley bar, deck of cards, million-dollar jackpot attracting thousands to river town

Ripley, Ohio. Blink and you might miss it.

Some call it a sleepy river town on the Ohio.

"Come down Wednesday and see how sleepy you think it is," said Bob Little of Sabina.

Last Wednesday, several thousand people flocked to the village.

"We have them from Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia," said Deanna Cooper, bartender at Brookie's.

Main Street was packed shoulder to shoulder.

"This street from 52 all the way down here, people everywhere," said Gary "Bub" Turner of Ripley.

People have been chasing a little luck and a life-changing win.

"How could it not be?" Little said.

"Yep, we drove down just for this," said Ed Sawicki.

Sawicki drove to Ripley from Mason to buy tickets and a chance at more than $1,000,000.

"Hopefully it's me, so that way I can get a date," Turner said.

"Well, I'd have a lot more friends then, I'd say," Jerry Davis of Portsmouth said.

At the center of the frenzy is Brookie's. It's the local watering hole that is home to a Queen of Hearts game where just five cards are left.

Darrin Brookbank has owned the bar for nearly a decade and has never seen crowds like he's been seeing.

"Never, never. Something started out small and grew into a million dollars," Brookbank said.

It's been a winning hand for business.

"Something like this takes a lot of stress off every day, making a business work," Brookbank said. "I'm running out of places to put beer."

The game of chance is putting Ripley on the map. It's bringing in business and turning a peaceful river town into a midweek destination.

"Just about everybody knows where Brookie's," Brookbank said.

Tickets are six for $10. People can buy tickets up until 7:10 p.m. Wednesday. The drawing is at 7:30 p.m.

You have to be present to win the entire pot. If you're not there and you win, you get 50 percent.