Lewis Brown of Kirkwood, New York made copies of the $35 worth of Mega Millions tickets he had just purchased at J&R Stop-N-Shop on Robinson Street for himself and a pool of his Wegmans co-workers.
Billy Ghotra, manager of J&R Stop-N-Shop on Robinson Street in Binghamton, sells tickets Thursday for the Mega Millions jackpot. The jackpot was later raised to $290 million.
"I'm trying to avoid any legal problems when we win," Brown said. "Everyone gets a copy, so there are no questions."
Brown, whose wife also takes part in a lottery pool, is confident about buying lottery tickets at the Stop-N-Shop.
"It's due to hit here anytime," he said. "This is my spot. I play here every week. And they have a copier here, too. I used to play at Rocket Plaza, but someone hit the Take 5. So I moved on."
People across the Southern Tier had dollar signs in their eyes, as they lined up Thursday to buy their tickets and take their one-in-a-135-million chance at winning today's record Mega Millions $290 million jackpot.
Irene McLachlan of the city's East Side said she normally does not buy Mega Millions tickets. But on Thursday, she stopped at J&R Stop-N-Shop and bought two games at a dollar apiece.
"I'm feeling a little lucky," she said.
Carol Pace, also of the East Side, said she was going to buy four games. But when she handed over a $5 bill, she decided to go ahead and buy five games instead.
"I may as well take my chances," she said. "I figure 'why not.'"
Store manager Billy Ghotra, said he had sold more than $3,000 worth of Mega Millions tickets prior to Tuesday's drawing, which had a jackpot of only $220 million. As of about noon on Thursday, he had sold $1,682 worth of tickets for today's drawing.
"I bought one ticket so far," Ghotra said.
Eleven states, including New York, participate in the Mega Millions lottery game, which debuted in May 2002. New York Lottery Director Nancy Palumbo said in a Thursday press release that retailers statewide were selling tickets at a rate of 400,000 per hour.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot prior to today's record $290 million prize came in February, when a Virginia man won $239 million. Cavanaugh's Grocery on Leroy Street in Binghamton sold a second-place ticket worth $175,000 for that game.
In Tuesday's drawing, seven people in New York took home $175,000 after winning the second-place prize for picking five correct numbers. All of the tickets were purchased in the New York City metropolitan area. After 15 drawings beginning May 11, there have been 31 second-prize winners in New York for a total of more than $5.4 million, the state's lottery office stated.
In order to win the $290 million jackpot, players have to pick five numbers between 1 and 52 plus a Mega Ball number between 1 and 52. If no one picks the winning numbers tonight, the jackpot will roll over again and get even larger.
In West Corners, Yeota Damigos purchased a few Mega Millions tickets along with some groceries at Paul Paolangeli's Mobil Station at Day Hollow Road and Route 26.
"I buy tickets once in awhile," she said, "usually when the jackpot gets bigger."
Chris Lane, a cashier, said the store sold $3,800 in tickets for Tuesday's drawing but did not know how much was sold for today's drawing.
The largest ever U.S. lottery jackpot came when Mega Millions predecessor, the Big Game, reached $363 million in 2000. The winnings were split between two people.
The live drawing, which normally takes place in Atlanta, Ga., will be held at 11 p.m. tonight in Times Square.
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