Jacques Maxey got lucky to start the day, and he, his wife, and two of their four children stacked up in their cars for a trip to Prim’s Lotto Store with the hope that they could win a jackpot where they could buy a house and a new car with enough time left to start their business. 스포츠토토
With an unlikely but over $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, Maxey made his first trip to the Nevada-California border to buy a lottery ticket.
“We woke up in a good mood today and just thought we were going to give it a try,” he said. “I have as good a chance as anyone.”
With the second-highest Mega Millions jackpot in 20 years, Maxey was among hundreds of Nevadans who gathered at the Lotto Store off California State Highway 15 on Thursday.
By noon, the jackpot for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing was $1.1 billion. With a cash payment option of $648.2 million, this is the third time the jackpot has crossed the $1 billion mark. According to Mega Millions, the prize entered the 10-digit range this week because no winners have been found in the past 29 draws.
Many of those who try their luck know they have a chance and don’t expect to win, but most have big plans if they get a big prize.
“Gazolion vs. 1.”
Hundreds of people formed long lines around the Lottery Store for a chance to buy tickets. Many people came in groups and brought chairs to sit, umbrellas to block the sun, and fans to help beat the heat of the desert.
Albert Edwards Jr., who drove the 44 miles from Las Vegas to the Lottery Store, said he thinks his odds of winning the jackpot are “in the tens of billions.” He is not a big miss. Mega Millions estimates the odds of winning the stratosphere at between 100 million and 303 million.
But the long odds didn’t stop Edwards, who wore a “WELCOM TO Impossible” Golden Knights T-shirt, from waiting an hour in line to buy tickets.
“The lottery is always a good opportunity, and Las Vegas is always a good place for long shots to come to fruition,” Edwards said.
Hope and Dreams
The woman in line ahead of Edwards was more optimistic about her chances.
Las Vegas resident Deborah Martin called herself a “Golden Girl” with a yellow T-shirt featuring characters from the sitcom “Golden Girl” from the 1980s and “90s. She said she knows that one of her six tickets will be a ticket with six matching numbers that will be drawn Friday night.
Martin gave some advice for the hundreds of people who lined up behind her.
“Don’t give up. You can always try again and buy more tickets,” she said.
Martin and Edwards said if they win, they don’t have a fancy plan to spend big payments.
Martin, who works part-time at Golden Entertainment, said he would distribute donations to families, travel and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Edwards, who works in the IT industry, said he would invest in paying the prize to his home and “people who will be around” after his death, including his five children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
They weren’t the only ones who put their family first.
Logan Teeter, an EMT based in the Las Vegas area, said he would use the jackpot to shape generational wealth and would opt for a small cash withdrawal option of less than $650 million.
“I’m going to take that lump sum and put everything into investment or savings and get a money manager,” Teeter said.
Investing in the jackpot was also a top priority for Kenneth Jones and Michael Slimman, who traveled together to get tickets. Both said they would use the potential jackpot to pay off their debts, then buy residential properties and rent them at affordable prices for those who need housing.
While most in line seemed happy to be there, at least one said he wasn’t thrilled that Nevada was one of five states banning participation in the lottery.
“It stinks to make Nevada drive all the way to California to buy a lottery ticket because it costs so much gas,” said Ricardo Pasadas, who has driven to Prim three times in the past 20 years to win the lottery.
Nevada regulation, known as the World’s Gambling Mecca, is Article 24 of the state’s Constitution, which bans lottery games in Nevada. The nearest lottery store is more than 40 miles away, so many people were buying lottery tickets not only for themselves but also for their family and friends.
Levi Wilson, who came ready to handle the long lines with umbrellas and grass chairs in the summer heat, said he turned up to buy tickets for a friend who had to work. Wilson said that because he was there, he decided that he might not be too focused on the jackpot, but that it was better to buy tickets for himself.
“I don’t spend too much money, so I think I’ll have to think about what to use that money for,” Wilson said.