What is the latest you can buy PB & MM tickets near you?

Reply #22

Mikelos — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:18:29 GMT

Most stations here allow the play up until 10:45 pm; however I've seen a few that stop around 10:30 (?).

Reply #21

Pick3forSC — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:00:19 GMT

I voted 10 pm... but the terminals I play at in my small little city in NC actually shut down at ... 9:58 pm.

Reply #20

OldSchoolPa — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:33:23 GMT

Pretty much all of the stores I have gone to in WI, IL, and IN keep their terminals up until 9:00 PM CST (10 pm EST); there are a few Speedway and Shell stations that keep their terminals up til 10:00 PM CST for people to buy MM tickets on non-draw days. And the Stateline Citgo store in Pleasant Prarie (south of Kenosha) keep their terminals up on non-draw days past the 9 PM CST hour for people to buy Powerball tickets (though the shutdown time usually occurs within 45 minutes after that time).... [ More ]

Reply #19

justxploring — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:13:01 GMT

Just curious - do you drive to VA just to buy tickets or do you have other business there? I find this very interesting. We've had polls asking how far someone will travel to play, and a number of people will travel out of state. So one would need to include transportation costs into his/her budget. Unless someone lives right by an interstate, an hour's drive is around 50-60 miles. (or, depending on traffic, here in SW Fla it could be up the road to get milk. LOL) So even with good gas mile... [ More ]

Reply #18

spy153 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:33:22 GMT

yes, I have to plan way ahead. I have to have my numbers ready to go by 4 to 6 pm or I don't play. I worded that wrong earlier in the post. I have to drive and hour from my house to play by 8pm. I have to drive over an hour from that store to play any later.

Reply #17

scorpio — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:05:42 GMT

it seems to me that the drawing for like powerball would have to be like 9 pm out west,or they would know the numbers to be drawn,if the draw was in the east before the draw in the west,at 11pm est.lotterys would not allow that as then the winner would always be out west in pacific time,right

Reply #16

RJOh — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:02:47 GMT

If you have to drive an hour to play then it's not a game you decide to play at the last minute, you plan ahead.

Reply #15

spy153 — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:51:29 GMT

In tn for pb it is no later than 10 at my special little store. In Ky, up to 10:45. Now for MM, that is a horse of a different color. I have to drive to va and the nearest store selling the tickets closes at 8 pm. I would have to drive over an hour to play any later.

Reply #14

chasingadream — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:02:11 GMT

10 here in sc but if im in ga its 10:45

Reply #13

Just6ntlc — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:22:21 GMT

My vote is near 10:45 est.

Reply #12

justxploring — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:14:23 GMT

kjs, please don't take this the wrong way, since I believe anything is possible. I simply can't imagine this happening unless you were handed an old ticket previously generated. In other words, the clerk had some old tickets and sold them to you. A store clerk, inexperienced or not, can't change the date of a ticket. The terminal always prints one for the next available drawing. For example, I can't go into a store and ask for a ticket for next Wed Lotto drawing today since there is a game on... [ More ]

Reply #11

LuckyLilly — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:09:40 GMT

Did you actually see them print the ticket? If not, I'd take it back and complain, cuz I'd bet anything this was an unsold ticket printed before the 2/16 drawing that the clerk pawned off on you. I'd also complain to your state lottery commission. It's unconscionable to sell customers tickets which are already known to be losers.

Reply #10

kjs703 — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 17:52:02 GMT

Allow me to share a short story or a real life experience .I purchase a five dollar quickpick at a 7/11 type store .My instructions were a Five dollar quickpick for the next mega million draw This was on Monday 2/19/2007 I got the ticket and just glanced at the numbersBut did not look at the date of the draw. Tuesday night after the draw it appearedI had matched one line on the MegaBall. When I went to collect the next dayThe clerk said it was not a winner when it was returned to me it wa... [ More ]

Reply #9

TheGameGrl — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:38:47 GMT

Most places in my area stop at 9 pm due to running reports and cashing out for the night shift. If I use the self terminal it allows up until an hour before draw time for the Powerball.

If I do hit the maryland area for Megamillions I make sure to get my ticket before 7 pm. Depending on the store, they sometimes shut the terminals down by 8 pm.

the Delaware area for Megamillions allows til 10 pm. Sweet

Reply #8

Todd — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:43:17 GMT

Reply #7

LOTTOMIKE — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:20:00 GMT

same here as amsoly41.....

Reply #6

RJOh — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:11:44 GMT

In my area stores usually shut down their lottery terminals a half hour before closing so only the stores that are opened to midnight or later sell MM tickets up to 10:45 PM EST(15 minutes before the drawing), any tickets sold after 10:45 may be for the next drawing depending when the terminals switch over.

Reply #5

amsoly41 — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:11:30 GMT

The draw break for Powerball begins at 9:00 p.m. (CST)/ 10:00 p.m. (EST).

1 hour before the Powerball Drawing in Tennessee.

Reply #4

MegaWinner — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:06:19 GMT

Around here (NJ), there is one magazine shop in Atlantic City that sells MM tickets everyday up until 10:45 pm est.

Reply #3

CA LotteryGuy — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:02:36 GMT

Are you talking about day of the draw or the other days?

As far as day of the draw for Mega Milions (Tuesday and Friday), in California you can buy tickets up until 7:45 PM, Pacific Time, which is 15 minutes before the draw.

Not sure what time the lottery machines go off at night. For some reason or another I think the machines are down from 12 midnight until 6 AM. Next time I get a ticket I will ask and update accordingly.

Reply #2

MegaWinner — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:58:37 GMT

Yeah that is annoying. I experienced that once with a 7-11. They would usually close out at 9pm est then one day they just started closing sometime between 8-9pm . I was like what the heck? I stopped going there.

Reply #1

LuckyLilly — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:41:44 GMT

You can buy PB here up till 10pm my time (12 EST) each night except drawing nights (Wed and Sat) and Sunday. Then you can only buy them till 8pm (10 EST). That doesn't bother me. But it does bother me that some clerks take it upon themselves to close out the machine early, I guess to balance them out before shift change. There was one who used to close it 1/2 hour early so I just quit buying my tickets there.

What is the latest you can buy PB & MM tickets near you?

MegaWinner — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:58:35 GMT

The closest stores near me stop selling lottery tickets at 9 pm est. One stops at 7:30 (ACME supermarket), and a magazine shop stops at 9pm est. I could travel 20 minutes to a store that stops at 10:45 but thats a little out of the way.

What about you guys? Does it bother you that some stores stop selling tickets so early