Do they expect to sell a lot of tickets for the Mega Millions VA lottery?
Mega Millions jackpot grows to $252M; ticket worth $250,000 unclaimed Posted to: News Virginia By Cindy Clayton The Virginian-Pilot © August 25, 2009 While officials expect to sell 6,300 tickets a minute for tonight’s Mega Millions lottery jackpot drawing, they are warning that a $250,000 winning ticket from a March game is about to expire. Tonight’s jackpot is an estimated $252 million which means if one ticket matches all six numbers, the winner can choose between payments of $9.7 million a year for 26 years or a lump sum payment of about $159 million, according to the Virginia Lottery’s Web site. Lottery officials estimate that 3.1 million tickets will be sold today, pushing the amount even higher for Friday’s drawing if there is no winner. The odds of winning the jackpot are about one in 176 million, according to the site. The odds of winning any prize in the game are about one in 40. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. EST Officials are waiting for the winner of the $250,
With an estimated $212 million jackpot, the Mega Millions game is living up to its name and generating mega-excitement in Virginia. More than 76,000 tickets purchased in Virginia won prizes in the Friday, February 27 Mega Millions drawing. That includes one ticket that won $250,000. That ticket was purchased at State Line Exxon, located at 4663 Martinsburg Pike in Clear Brook (Frederick County). Lottery officials expect players to purchase about 2.8 million Mega Millions tickets in Virginia on Tuesday, March 3, before the 11:00 p.m. drawing. During the busiest times of the day, such as the lunch hour and evening rush hour, about 5,600 tickets will be sold per minute in Virginia. If a single ticket matches all six numbers in Tuesday’s drawing to win the jackpot, the winner will receive annual payments of about $8.1 million for 26 years. If the winner chooses to take the immediate cash value of the jackpot, he or she will receive about $137.8 million before taxes. Mega Millions drawings
Virginia Lottery officials expect 3.1 million tickets will be sold across the state today at a rate of more than 6,300 tickets a minute. In this recession, lottery officials are noticing ticket sales jump even when jackpots are significantly smaller. Paula Otto with the Virginia Lottery says, “Even at 12, 20, 30 or 50 million, we’re seeing more people getting in the game from the start. I think maybe in this economy, 12 million doesn’t sound so bad.” Overall, lottery sales were down 2 to 3 percent last year, and the state lottery expects the same this year. Sources: http://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-mega-millions090825,0,5181623.
