Pennsylvania Jackpot Cash Grows Greener

The push to get a piece of the lottery action sent Pennsylvania’s Super 7 jackpot soaring to $83 million Monday, as out-of-state buyers grabbed up tickets and cajoled airline employees to make purchases for them.

Frantic ticket-buying for the $83-million jackpot, a North American record, also touched off speculation the pot may hit $100 million before Wednesday’s drawing, lottery officials said Monday.

Lottery spokeswoman Terry Murphy said ticket sales for Monday reached $8.6 million by 2 p.m.--a record sales pace of 481 tickets per second, or 28,860 per minute.

“And there are 2 1/2 days left. I would say things might get interesting,” Murphy said. “We’re watching sales like a hawk. I think the whole world is watching.”

Through Six Drawings

The jackpot kept growing after six drawings yielded no winning ticket. Last week’s unclaimed jackpot of $46 million had grown to $62 million by Thursday and hit $70 million by the weekend.

Super 7 players pick seven numbers out of 80. The lottery bureau will draw 11 numbers Wednesday evening, and any ticket with seven of them qualifies for the big prize. An individual winner would take home $3.2 million, less 20% for federal income tax, for 26 years. Odds are 1 in 9.6 million per ticket.

At Philadelphia’s airport, the line for the $1 tickets was 30 deep at lunchtime.

Money for Flight Crews

“People are talking about it on the planes. Some of them want to give the flight crews money to buy tickets,” said Susan Antoine of Richmond, a stewardess who said she planned to buy 50 tickets for herself.

“If I win I’ll buy Donald Trump’s yacht and invite him to go for a ride on it,” said Louise Henshaw of Hammonton, N.J., as she waited in the airport line.

“I’d take a vacation for the rest of my life,” said Paul Kreczko of Chicago, an American Airlines employee who made a special trip to buy tickets.

Surpasses Florida Pot

The $83-million jackpot surpasses the $55.1-million Florida lottery pot won by Sheelah Ryan in September, 1988, the largest single jackpot, and the $69.9 million split last weekend by four winners of the Illinois Lotto.

Residents of other states don’t have to travel to Pennsylvania or know somebody in the state to buy a ticket. Tickets Plus, which mostly sells concert tickets, is selling lottery chances to out-of-state buyers willing to pay double the $1 ticket price.

The outlet has shipped 50-ticket Super 7 packets to California, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington, company officials said.