N.Y. $70-Million Lottery Prize Sets Off Ticket-Buying Spree

Hope springs eternal--even in New York City.

Thousands of people lined up at grocery stores and candy shops Friday as natives and tourists alike went on a lottery ticket-buying spree for a chance at winning $70 million.

“It’s possible the figure could go higher by Saturday,” lottery spokesman Bill Knowlton said. “This is new territory. We apply our formula against trends, but this drawing is a trend-buster. We’ve never been this high before,” he said.

By noon Friday, more than 21 million tickets--at $1 apiece--had been sold, a rate of about 13,000 tickets a minute, Knowlton said.

There are 25,827,165 possible combinations of six figures, lottery officials said. The odds of one ticket having all six numbers correctly are 1 in 12.9 million.

There was one New York State Lotto drawing that was larger than today’s jackpot, but that $90-million prize, shared by nine players in 1991, was a special drawing financed in part by a onetime $50-million legislative appropriation to spur ticket sales, officials said.

While the chances of winning may seem insurmountable, it didn’t stop bettors from pursuing their dreams.

Retired salesman Irving Kahn, 84, was optimistic he’d finally be a winner. “After all this time, it’s my turn to win,” he said, putting down $10 for a chance to become a millionaire.