$290 million jackpot stirs mega-dreams

Jul 2, 2004, 8:40 am (Post a comment)

Mega Millions

Merchants expect last-minute rush for lottery tickets

Forget about yachts and mansions. If Paula Jacksons lucky numbers fall tonight, the first thing she plans to do is put her feet up.

I would just relax, take a few months off, and chill out, said Jackson, a mother of three who lives in Southfield, Michigan and works as a waitress.

Id get a car, a house, and all that later on. But right now, Im tired. I just need a break more than anything.

Tonights drawing can buy a lot of leisure time.

The Mega Millions jackpot is expected to top $290 million by the time the six numbers are drawn at 11 p.m.

Retired autoworker Leo Fetts, 73, of Dearborn knows exactly what hed do if fortune should smile on him: Id buy an island and just sit in the shade and watch the sun set, he said.

Boy, all that money, more than you could ever spend, he said. Wouldnt that be nice?

Jack Mikha, an employee at The Abbey Wine and Liquor Shoppe in Southfield, is used to seeing that dreamy glint in his customers eyes.

When it gets like this, we have one of our employees stay with the lottery machine; he doesnt do anything else. He cant. The line is all the way out the door.

The Mega Millions game is played in Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 135 million to 1.

Detroit News

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