The possibility of winning an entire Powerball jackpot tends to bring out the generosity in folks buying a ticket.
Darnell Harris, of Chicago, who purchased a few tickets Friday afternoon at the Cline Avenue Speedway gas station in Griffith, said he’s already a giving person anyway, so having that much money would mean he just has more to give.
“I have a lot of family with a lot of bills — mostly college loans,” Harris said as he waited for his buddy, Mike Ross, to finish getting his tickets. “But on the flip side, they’re making something better of themselves, so I’d be happy to set up education trust funds for them.”
Ross, also of Chicago, agreed with his friend’s sentiment, adding they would feed the homeless “from Montrose to Foster.”
Over at the 7-Eleven at Broad Street and 45th Avenue in Griffith, Alan Rogers studiously picked out his numbers for the drawing, which promises the largest payoff the United States has ever seen. The grand prize was estimated to be $800 million Friday afternoon.
Rogers, of Dolton, Ill., would like for his wife, Sarita, to be able to retire from her job and for both to move to a warmer climate.
Sarita Rogers, on the other hand, had other plans.
“I would build a center in our neighborhood for the preteens,” she said. “There just doesn’t seem to be enough for them to do these days.”
Though steady, sales hadn’t been super-insane yet, cashier Donna Argue said, but that was likely change once people started coming home from work, she said.
There are plenty of games from which to choose this weekend. Not only is Powerball through the roof, but the Hoosier Lottery’s Mega Millions game was up to $165 million for Friday night’s drawing, and there were other pots turning over big returns.
Jerry Grider, spokesperson for the Hoosier Lottery, said the organization has been having a lot of fun the past few days as well. Since Wednesday, five people have hit $50,000 winning tickets, and someone could walk away a big winner Saturday.
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Grider put out a reminder for ticketholders: Once you’ve determined you’re the winner, make sure you sign the back of the ticket and keep it in a safe place. Then, you should call Lottery headquarters in Indianapolis.
Of the people purchasing lottery tickets at the 7-Eleven, only three or four had purchased Mega Millions tickets, Argue and her co-worker, Jason Davidson, said. The two of them purchased their tickets yesterday at other places, of course.
“I got mine at Griffith Meats yesterday,” Argue, of Merrillville, said. “I won $12, so I bought them with that. I would buy a compound for my family so they wouldn’t have to worry about working. Don’t know where I’d build it, but I can’t sit and play Farmville forever, right? Or I can buy a really good computer with mega-Internet access.”
She and Davidson, of Griffith, had talked to other customers throughout the day about what they would do if they won. As a result, they came up with a list of charities in which to donate.
“They were really great suggestions. Alzheimer’s was one, and (Davidson and I) always walk for the March of Dimes,” Argue said. “Wounded Warriors was another one.”
Rich Olszewski, who owns the 7-Eleven as well as the one at 45th Avenue and Cline Avenue in Griffith, said people tend to “spread their luck” by buying tickets up and down all the retailers on 45th. He asked Argue and Davidson how many buyers promise them they’ll slip them some cash if they win.
“Eight out of 10, easily, but then the winners never come back,” Argue said.
Harris, of Chicago, said he’ll be happy to come back to Indiana to give the employees a little bit of his winnings. Giving is what he does, and he hopes others are as generous.
“As long as someone with a big heart who’ll do something to help others wins the money, I’m good with that,” he said.
The previous biggest jackpot ever was a $656 million Mega Millions prize won in 2012. Powerball’s largest jackpot was more than $590 million in May 2013. No one has won Powerball’s biggest prize since Nov. 4.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
What are the odds of winning?
Grand prize: 5 numbers and Powerball, 1 in 292,201,338.00
$1 million: 5 numbers, 1 in 11,688,053.52
$50,000: 4 numbers and Powerball, 1 in 913,129.18
$100: 4 numbers, 1 in 36,525.17
$100: 3 numbers and Powerball, 1 in 14,494.11
$7: 3 numbers, 1 in 579.76
$7: 2 numbers, 1 in 701.33
$4: 1 number and Powerball, 1 in 91.98
$4: Only Powerball, 1 in 38.32
Source: powerball.com