When It Comes to Lotto, They’re the Odds Ones Out

Dana Cresswell did something few convenience store shoppers did Saturday afternoon--left without a Super Lotto ticket and a crack at a $48-million jackpot.

While the five patrons in front of her plunked down cash for Lotto tickets, the 18-year-old Cal State Fullerton student bought just a Big Gulp soda.

“I think those people are stupid,” the Santa Ana resident said. “It’s just a waste of money.”

Cresswell wasn’t alone in triumphing over peer pressure--or longer-than-usual lines--at convenience stores Saturday, but she was part of a small group. Only about one in five were able to resist rolling the dice on the Lotto, according to store managers.

As with others, Cresswell explained it wasn’t fear of risk that enabled her to casually walk past checkout signs advertising the huge jackpot. It was common sense.

“It’s just not worth it,” said Cresswell, who admitted to enjoying slot machines. “I’m not a cautious person. In fact, I can be impetuous, but this is ridiculous.”

The odds of hitting the Super Lotto jackpot are about one in 18 million. The chances of an asteroid striking the Earth (one in 1 million) or being struck by lightning (one in 600,000) are much better bets, statisticians say.

Even if the jackpot reached $100 million or more, Tom Cesario, who walked out of a convenience store Saturday with only an iced tea, wouldn’t buy a ticket. Cesario, dean of UCI’s College of Medicine, believes Lotto players are after a thrill--one he really doesn’t need.

“I tend to be a cautious person,” Cesario said. “I drive through Las Vegas a lot, and I’ve only stopped once. I played the slots and won a few nickels and dimes. That’s enough for me.”

Intuition, not statistics and cold logic, kept others immune to Lotto fever Saturday.

Bonnie Mesing believes playing the odds would be futile in her case.

“If I thought I were a lucky person, I’d buy one,” the office manager from Tustin said. “But I’m 35 and I’m single.

“Besides, I knew someone who won, and if that happens, your chances of winning are nil.”

And even if she overcame her jinx, the jackpot would only be a curse, she added.

“If I won, then the men would probably just want me for my money,” Mesing added. “I’d never trust any of them.”

In spite of Mesing’s musings about Lotto, her friend Maryann Surber decided to pick up $5 worth of numbers anyway.

“Who wouldn’t buy a ticket with a jackpot that big?” she said. “It’s a dream.”

Unlike Mesing, Surber believes their Huntington Beach friend who claimed a multimillion-dollar jackpot a few years ago increases her chances of Lotto glory.

“If it could happen to her, it could just as easily happen to me,” Surber insisted. “It could totally happen to me.”

“Yeah, sure,” Mesing responded with a smile.