ith the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history up for grabs, local lottery vendors are seeing a small decline in their sales as Massachusetts residents head north in hopes of buying a Powerball ticket worth a $340 million.
Twenty-seven states offer Powerball, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For Bay State residents, the possibility of astronomical winnings - after 20 straight winless Powerball drawings - is proving too strong a lure to ignore, and some local players are abandoning local venues to try their luck in neighboring New Hampshire.
While a $90 million prize in MegaMillions is keeping most of the faithful at Essex Farms, said employee Marc Holey, the store has also seen a slight loss of lottery custom over the last few days.
"We see a little difference. We're getting about the same number of people, but still not as much as usual," he said. "It'll probably return to normal soon."
The odds of hitting all six numbers in the Powerball drawing are 1 in 146 million. For purposes of comparison, the National Safety Council - working with 2002 data - estimates that a person's chance of being fatally struck by lightning is 1 in 56,439, and the one-year odds of a fatal lighting strike is 1 in 4,362,746. Given that, a thick-soled rubber boots and comprehensive life insurance policy could prove a better investment than a Powerball ticket.
Despite the discouraging odds, many are heading north to hunt for a winning Powerball ticket. So says Connie Labounty, an employee at the Cabot Street Market in Portsmouth, N.H. She started spotting more Bay State residents about a week ago, and the market is enjoying a little extra business due to the lottery draw.
"We're getting quite a few, actually. Last Saturday it started getting really busy, and it's just continuing," she said. "If they're smokers, they'll stop and get cigarettes, too, because we're cheaper than Massachusetts."
"Oh yes, how can you not buy one? I keep telling my daughter that, if I win. I'll buy the place in Italy where she worked, put her in charge of hotel, and hire my son as chef," she laughed. "And I'll live in the penthouse."
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