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4 lottery tickets win $330M grand prize
By Kasey Jones
Associated Press
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BALTIMORE -- The odds of winning the estimated $330 million Mega Millions jackpot were one in 176 million. But lottery officials said early Saturday that four people - one each in Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia - did just that.

In addition to the grand prize winners from Friday night's drawing, 36 players matched all five numbers but not the Mega Ball number. They will receive second prizes of $250,000 each.

Another 215 players matched four numbers, plus the Mega Ball number - good for third prizes of $10,000 each.

The winning numbers were: 8, 18, 22, 40 and 44. The Mega Ball number was 11.

If estimates of the jackpot hold true, it would be the fourth-largest in the lottery's history. It was known as The Big Game when it awarded jackpots of $363 million in 2000 and $331 million in 2002.

A winning Mega Millions ticket was sold at Walther Liquors in Nottingham, Md., Maryland Lottery Director Buddy Roogow said.

The person who bought the ticket purchased five quick-pick tickets, costing a total of $5, Roogow said. That winner had not come forward, he said.

"You have a better chance of being hit by lightning at the same place and time every day for a week" than winning Mega Millions, Roogow said.

It was not immediately known if winners in other states had come forward. Mega Millions tickets are also sold in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Washington.

Players lined up at retailers Friday for a chance to win despite the long odds.

Campark Liquors general manager Karie Gandy said that "lines have been unbelievable" at the Woodbine, N.J., store, which sold one of the two winning tickets for the record $390 million Mega Millions jackpot in March.

"We've had people calling us from out of state wanting to send us money so we can mail them tickets," she said. "Obviously we haven't because we're not allowed to do that."

In Buffalo, N.Y., a Wilson Farms convenience store had a steady line of eight to 10 people waiting to buy tickets.

"People are buying $100 worth at a time, for themselves, for offices. They're flying," said cashier Ashley Woloszyn.

The 19-year-old said she'd probably keep working even if she won the jackpot.

"You need to see a shrink," chimed in customer Jim Dole, who bought $20 in tickets.

The mega-jackpot was paying off for Savannah retailers near Georgia's border with South Carolina, which isn't among the 12 states where Mega Millions tickets are sold.

Peggy Davis, a manager at Brown's Chevron in downtown Savannah, said the store had sold more than $1,000 in Mega Millions tickets by noon Friday.

"That's about two or three times what we'd normally sell by that time of the day," said Davis, who expected heavier sales once people left work.

For selling the winning ticket, Walther Liquors will receive a $25,000 commission, a lottery official said.

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Reader comments on this story - 10 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Ya gotta play it~~ wrote on Sep 2, 2007 3:03 PM:

" to win it! Congrat sto the lucky ducks! :) "

Gloomy Gus wrote on Sep 1, 2007 6:46 PM:

" With my luck, if I did win it would be the week when a freak computer glitch caused everyone to win and I'd get back $4 on a $5 investment. Sigh. "

Finally! wrote on Sep 1, 2007 4:58 PM:

" Almost everyone at the office has been throwing in $5 each as a group to buy tickets since it hit $100 million. I’ve been hoping someone (us especially) would win for the last couple of weeks. I could fill my tank on the money I blew. It's also a tax on peer pressure! But the fantasies were fun. "

to Chicagoan wrote on Sep 1, 2007 4:43 PM:

" You have to be a U.S. Citizen to even win. "

CHICAGO wrote on Sep 1, 2007 2:12 PM:

" I just hope they can all speak english. "

:) wrote on Sep 1, 2007 1:56 PM:

" Good for the people who won! "

With that kind of money wrote on Sep 1, 2007 7:10 AM:

" I could catch up on my electric bill and get a FULL tank of gas and maybe keep the house warm this winter. "

Tax wrote on Aug 31, 2007 11:08 PM:

" Lotto is a tax on those people who cannot figure odds. But ya know what.... 1 in 176,000,000 is better than 0 in 176,000,000! "

Candy wrote on Aug 31, 2007 9:39 PM:

" I could afford to fill up my tank with gas with that kind of money. "

O FRAA wrote on Aug 31, 2007 8:34 PM:

" For $330M we could buy Africa from the French. "
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