There’s nothing like a jackpot that tops $1 billion to make people feel lucky — or at least greedy enough to admit that there’s a number high enough to want a 1 in 300 million chance make to win.
That’s the frenzy the national Powerball and Mega Millions lotto games create when their jackpots cross the $1 billion threshold.
It’s happening now at convenience stores and truck stops across Wyoming as momentum builds heading into Friday’s Mega Millions drawing with an estimated jackpot of $1.15 billion.
“Oh yeah, everyone seems to want a shot at that,” said Casey Vialpando, a clerk at the Maverik store on Ridge Road in Cheyenne. “Those big jackpots certainly seem to bring a lot more people forward.”
That’s usually the case at the Flying J Travel Center in Rock Springs, clerk Fred Smith said, but so far there hasn’t been much buzz surrounding Friday’s drawing. Word of the $1.15 billion price may not have gotten out yet, he said.
People in and around Lusk in Niobrara province are certainly aware and are rapidly buying tickets, says Sebastian Ochs.
Ochs works at the Sinclair station at 301 S. Main St. in Lusk, or as he puts it, “Out here in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming.”
He said there is a noticeable excitement around big jackpots, but the $1 billion mark seems to send people to another level of hope – or possibly even despair. That’s when even people who don’t normally buy lottery tickets will spend some money on the minuscule chance of becoming the big winner.
“Certainly, I have noticed an increase in sales close to that high figure,” Ochs told Cowboy State Daily. “As you get closer to the drawing, there is usually a big wave of tickets sold. Everyone wants a chance to win that much money.”
Selling the winning ticket “would be great, just really cool,” he said. “Imagine someone winning it out here in the middle of nowhere.”
So you’re telling me there’s a chance
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are about 1 in 302 million, and don’t worry about all those long-lost relatives. If you win in Wyoming, you can choose to remain anonymous.
You also have 180 days to claim your prize.
The first major decision will be whether we will accept the lump sum cash payout, which is approximately $512 million, or whether we will receive it in annual payouts over 30 years.
Most people choose the lump sum option, but don’t expect to end up with half a billion in the bank. You won’t get $389.1 million until Uncle Sam collects his mandatory 24% federal withholding.
And for those who say that people in Wyoming are never lucky enough to win big money on the national lotto drawings, at least one person might disagree. In Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, one person who bought a ticket in Wyoming was one of four $1 million winners, along with tickets sold in Missouri, California and Pennsylvania.
That means they matched all five of their numbers, but missed the Mega Ball that provides a six-number match for the big jackpot.
Greg Johnson can be reached at [email protected].