Waiting for a Windfall
Sam waits behind the counter of the Downtown Cigar Shop at 286 Ouellette Ave. in Windsor, to sell the next winning Lotto Max ticket Feb. 28. (Photo by Jeffrey Gravel)
by Jeffery Gravel
With the Lotto Max jackpot at the maximum of $50 million, customers are lining up for their chance to win big.
Even though the likelihood of winning big is minimal, local lottery retailers say when the jackpot is this big, it brings in the customers. According to an informal poll, more than 90 per cent of respondents say they purchase lottery tickets when the jackpot reaches the $50 million mark.
The chances of walking away with a jackpot of $10 million or more is one in 28 million, according to the Ontario Lottery and Gambling Corporation.
“People have a better chance of getting hit by lightning,” said local addictions counselor Amanda LaFlamme. “Stats show that smaller winnings can be a gateway to gambling addiction, especially in the first couple years of playing.”
Business has been steady for Mahd Shihab at the Walkerville Station Esso at the intersection of Tecumseh Road East and Kildare Road. Customers are not just filling their vehicles with petrol, they’re filling their wallets and purses with Lotto Max tickets.
“When the amounts go up, more people want to play,” said Shihab.
Walkerville Station customer and area resident Alexander MacEachern bought tickets along with his morning papers.
“I already bought tickets earlier this week with four friends of mine. We each split for four numbers and the encore,” said MacEachern. “I am going to buy a couple more for myself now.”
Lottery sales also bring big business for the government. According to their own website, the OLG generated $3.4 billion in economic activity for the province in 2013. Of that money, $1.6 billion goes into the local economy and another $1.6 billion is for hospital operations. The remainder goes into various other charities in the province.
Sam, the owner of the Downtown Cigar Shop on Ouellette Avenue, has recently sold two winning tickets. With the jackpot at $50 million plus 20 additional prizes of $1 million, Sam has also noted an increase in customers.
“I’m going to change my name to James Bond and hit the road, take the highway to the airport and never come back,” Sam said of what he would do if he won.
Whether they win or lose on their individual tickets, Ontario lottery players will see some benefit from the money put back into the economy.
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