Lotto’s Fat Jackpot Could Be Slim Chance of a Lifetime
A UC Irvine student says he’d buy a new house for mom. A Costa Mesa woman dreams of a 100-acre horse ranch in Montana. And a Cypress secretary says her church would share in her good fortune.
They were just a few of the thousands of Lotto players statewide who drove Wednesday’s jackpot up to $87 million, even though nearly all acknowledged that they had little chance to win. One chance in 18 million, to be exact.
“But you can’t win if you don’t play,” said would-be ranch owner Linda Wilson, summing up the philosophy that sent Orange County residents to convenience, liquor and chain grocery stores.
Wilson and all those who share her dream didn’t let the odds deter them. On average, they spent more than $2 million an hour before Wednesday night’s drawing for the third biggest jackpot in California history. The winning numbers were 8, 25, 26, 31, 32 and 43.
While store employees were busy handling ticket purchases, California lottery offices were flooded with calls from concerned players with lots of questions, some of them odd. Just how much of the jackpot would they get, once taxes are paid out? And what happens to the jackpot if they die?
“It’s got to be the full moon, it can’t be the jackpot,” sighed Judy Perez, a supervisor in the lottery’s Santa Ana office, as she took a break from fielding calls.
Lotto ticket sales started slowly, and many merchants feared the weak sales would trail off even more. At 11 a.m., two of the biggest ticket sellers in Orange County, Cobblestone Liquor in Placentia and Stock Market in Huntington Beach, had sold about $1,000 in tickets. A good performance, but not exceptional.
By 2 p.m., sales were fast and furious.
Bruce Maag, manager at the Placentia store, predicted sales would climb to $15,000 by day’s end.
It was still a far cry from the lottery madness raging at the Bluebird Liquor store in Hawthorne, which has distinguished itself by selling four winning tickets to million-dollar jackpots since the creation of the state lottery in 1985. There, it took 45 minutes to an hour to get a ticket Wednesday.
Today’s winner will get about a $40-million lump sum, or 26 annual payments of up to $4 million. And for the morbidly curious ticket holders who called the lottery offices Wednesday: When a winner dies, the full remainder of the award is paid to his or her estate.
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Wednesday’s winning Super Lotto numbers:
8, 25, 26, 31, 32, 43