Pam Barnett, of Marysville, does not often play the lottery but the prize for tonight’s Mega Millions game enticed her Thursday to stop at C.J.’s Market in Milford Center to buy a pair of tickets.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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As the Mega Millions jackpot nears a billion dollars, lotto local convenience stores are feeling lucky.
“It has been crazy, crazy,” said Tom Wilson, an employee at C.J.’s Market in Milford Center. “The day before yesterday, it was wild. I made the comment that the register was smoking when I left.”
Wilson is referring to Tuesday, when the Mega Millions was last drawn. There was no winner and the record jackpot has grown from there. The jackpot has been rolling since it was last won on July 24, when a California office pool of 11 co-workers shared $543 million, the largest prize ever won on a single ticket in the game.
And now it is over $970 million. The drawing will be held tonight at 11 p.m.
“They are looking at that amount of money and people think, ‘Why not?’” Wilson said.
That’s what Al Zill thought. Zill said he doesn’t play the game often, but couldn’t pass up the giant jackpot.
“I just figured it is a lot of money,” Zill said. “For $2, I thought I would take a chance.”
Wilson said the Mega Millions has also propped up the Powerball sales. The jackpot for that game is at an estimated $430 million but is expected to climb before Saturday’s drawing.
Wilson said those coming in for the Mega Millions often buy a Powerball ticket also when they see the jackpot.
“I have had a lot that do that,” Wilson said. “They come in and see that one (the Powerball jackpot) and see that one is up there pretty good too. They figure, ‘I might as well take one a shot at that one as well.’”
Lottery players select five numbers, between 1 and 70, or 1 and 69 for the Powerball, and then select another number between 1 and 26. The jackpot is won by matching all five white balls in any order and the additional number. Even tickets that don’t win the big prize can win smaller prizes by matching some of the numbers.
Tickets cost $2, or $3 for a Power Play ticket, which boosts the value of non-jackpot prizes.
If a winning ticket is sold at a store, that store receives a prize also, but there is no financial advantage for selling all those tickets that do not win. Store managers say the flood of lottery players can be frustrating for cashiers, but ultimately they think it is worth the hassle because players, most of them anyway, buy something else. For some people, it is the first time in that store.
Wilson said he sees a lot of new players when the jackpot gets high.
“We are seeing a lot of first time players,” he said.
Pam Barnett is one of them. She said she has played the lotto before, but not often and never this game. In fact, the Marysville woman filled out her card wrong and Wilson had to help her redo the card.
“Did I do it right this time?” she asked when she returned to the register.
She said she just wants to be part of the excitement and “see what happens.”
Even with the mistake, Barnett said she is “feeling a little luckier than usual.”
Not everyone does.
Cheri Persinger knows the prize is above $900 million, but said she doesn’t play the Powerball or Mega Million lotto because, “there is probably already 900 million people with tickets.”
“I just think the odds are stacked against me pretty hard,” Persinger said.
She does enjoy scratch off style lotto games.
“I have two tickets unscratched in my car,” Persinger said.
The difference, according to Persinger?
“At least I know I can win something on the scratch offs,” she said.
Amy McGlone said she knows many are buying the lotto tickets, but wonders why she should.
“I will never win,” she said
Christina Mathews blamed herself. She said she doesn’t play because “I don’t have any luck.”
Some people think there is more luck in a group. Wilson said a man came to the store earlier this week to buy $200 worth of tickets for a group.
Employees at the store said they will pool their money to play.
“It’s just fun” Wilson said.
Colegrove said her husband will play, but she doesn’t because she has “my own vices.” She said she plays with a group from the store, “because they asked me.”
Store officials said Thursday was the lull before today’s storm. One cashier said the hardcore lotto players already bought their ticket and the flood of bandwagon players will happen today. The clerk was right, at least about many of the regulars. Many of those that stopped into the store Thursday morning said they had already bought their tickets.
Steve Morrow is one that hasn’t. He talked to the cashiers about the lotto and winning, but left CJ’s Market without a ticket.
“I just haven’t had time, “ Morrow said. “I probably won’t get time. I keep talking about it and thinking about it. I know, you can’t win if you don’t buy one.”
Wilson said that is the mantra of nearly everyone who buys a ticket.
“They know they probably aren’t going to win, but it is a shot at that dream,” Wilson said.