Feeling lucky? Lottery players in Wayne, Holmes and Ashland talk Mega Millions mania
Sure, the odds are against you — in a big way. Like, 1 in 303 million.
And your lucky numbers have never actually proved lucky. The most exciting thing you've won in your life is the age-guessing game at the county fair (thank you, L'Oréal) and a round of bingo at your church.
Yet, it didn't stop you from purchasing a $2 Mega Millions ticket (or two, or 10) for a chance to win a billion bucks.
The jackpot topped $1 billion to become the third largest in Mega Millions history after no one had a ticket correctly matching all six numbers on Tuesday. The next drawing is 11 p.m. today.
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The Daily Record and Times-Gazette staffers traversed Wayne, Ashland and Holmes counties talking to folks about how their lives might change if today is their lucky day.
Wooster store enjoys surge in lottery sales but not everyone's buying in
Dale Jarvis of Wooster walked out of the City News store with a handful of lottery tickets on Wednesday.
The odds, he admitted, are not in his favor.
"I bought a few, but I know how the odds work," Jarvis said. "If I win, I want to help other people retire like me."
With such a large pot, he would reach out to family, friends and former colleagues.
"I also think you have to support mom and pop stores like the City News," Jarvis said. "If someone won the Mega Millions here, that would be huge for them."
Inside City News, Tyler Sturges had sold those lottery tickets to Jarvis moments earlier.
Six hours after opening Wednesday, Sturges had sold $407 worth of lottery tickets in 28 purchases, according to his computer. The day before was nearly $700 worth of tickets sold.
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"The overwhelming number of people come in here now to buy lottery tickets; it's at the point I ask them if they want a ticket," he said.
The more money the pot accrues, he said, the busier the store gets.
As the cashier selling tickets, Sturges said, he doesn't play the lottery.
"I would participate but I've sold enough of these tickets to know the odds," he quipped.
Ashland resident would hightail it to a private island with his lottery winnings
"Two bucks for a billion? I'd wager that," said David Schwartzwalder, 43, of Ashland.
You'd be hard-pressed to know if Schwartzwalder wins his wager, however, because "I would leave the country," he said. "I'd buy my own private island."
Schwartzwalder calls himself "a gambling connoisseur. I play everything," he said. "If I can win money, I'm in. I'd rather go to the casino, but it's too far to drive."
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Terry Maness bought just one ticket for the Mega Millions Tuesday drawing.
"When I have more money, like on payday, I buy $30-$40 (worth) of them," said the 56-year-old Ashland resident.
She doesn't win as much as she would like.
"It's touch and go. It's never enough," she said.
However, if she manages a big win today, she would use it "to make my family and friends happy."
She would also retire.
"I was a nurse in a nursing home for 30 years. Now I work in a factory."
Joyce Telakowicz of Nankin has always played the same numbers since Ohio lotteries started in the 1970s, though she doesn't play the Mega Millions, which started in 1996.
She and her husband, Frank, base their picks on important family dates.
"One set is our birthdays and another set is our grandchildren's birthdays," the 80-year-old said of their lucky numbers. "Others are more or less out of a hat."
Every week she buys lottery tickets, usually Super Lotto or Rolling Cash 5.
Not Mega Millions, though. Oh no, too risky.
"I can't see putting in money on something that's a one-in-a-billion or a-million (chance)," she said. "I won't waste my money on that."
If Telakowicz ever won a lottery, she said, she would pay off bills, and a car loan and split the rest of the money with her children.
Auto-pick or special dates, lottery players have their methods
Birthdates of family members, ages, anniversaries and other numbers special to individuals are among the many methods used to purchase lottery tickets, all in hopes of garnering a big cash prize.
According to lottery sales representatives at area stores in Holmes County's Millersburg, the majority of players use the automatic easy-play method.
"We have some people who come in with their cards already filled out with their special numbers, but a lot of the people go the auto route," said Jeff Rowland of Millersburg, a sales clerk at the BellStores Marathon.
The South Washington Street store has been swamped with ticket buyers over the past few days as many more players than usual have come in, drawn by the giant Mega Millions jackpot.
Rowland bought tickets for today's drawing, that were printed, but the customer did not have cash to pay for them.
"I would hate to have seen one of these be the winning ticket and no one got it because it wasn't paid for," he said. "If I win, I'll share it with everybody that works here. There is no way I could spend all that money in a lifetime."
Cindy Rippeth, a customer service representative at Rodhe's IGA Marketplace in Millersburg would also share winnings with her coworkers, some of whom contributed to a pool and purchased tickets together.
"If I win, I will buy me a house on the ocean," she said, noting sales have been heavier than usual as the prize money ballooned to more than $1 billion.
"It is just hard to imagine that much money, but it is fun to think about it," Rippeth said with a laugh.
Wooster Daily Record Editor Veronica Van Dress, staff writers Bryce Buyakie and Kevin Lynch, and Ashland Times-Gazette correspondent Linda Hall contributed to this story.