ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Brittani Fulcher buys lottery tickets at Tedeschi Food Shop in Lynn on Tuesday.
BY MICHELE DURGIN
LYNN — Big dreams were evident Tuesday as North Shore residents lined up for their chance at one of the 10 largest jackpots in U.S. history.
If Brittani Fulcher won the $454 million Mega Millions Jackpot, one thing’s for sure: the lifelong Lynn resident will share it with her mom, two daughters and siblings. But everything else is up in the air.
“I’m not sure if I will quit my job at Market Basket because I really enjoy working and love the people I work with,” said the occasional lottery ticket buyer who only purchases tickets when the prize is huge.
The last time Mega Millions was higher than now was when a $648 million prize was split between two tickets sold in California and Georgia in December 2013. Running a close second in the jackpot dream world is the Powerball Jackpot, scheduled for today, with an estimated payout of $257 million.
Most people agree that the best part about purchasing a lottery ticket, especially one for an out of this world amount, is the dream factor.
Pervez Chowdhury, the owner of the Tedeschi Food Shop on Lewis Street in Lynn, said he sells lots of tickets to customers, like Fulcher, who only buy lottery tickets when the jackpot is huge.
“We have had big business today,” said Chowdhury. “We have many regular customers who know that this store has been lucky in the past. We have sold three $1 million dollar scratch tickets.”
The Mega Millions game is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning this jackpot are one in nearly 259 million. The game’s prize has rolled over 34 times since the last winner on March 8.
Erin Deary, 33, from Lynn, said she was anxious to purchase a few tickets for the drawing and had many plans for the money she was hoping would soon be hers.
“I would pay off my student loans and buy my mom a house,” she said. “But I would also like to help out the community and possibly open a drop in center for teens. I would have tutors available and also have services in place to help them with career and college decisions.”
Deary, a 2002 graduate of Classical High School, said helping people at a young age is key to reducing homelessness, unemployment and crime.
The Game Stop store manager also wasn’t so sure about giving up the job because she enjoys the fellow workers. She allowed herself another moment to dream and, with a wink and a smile, added that she might splurge and buy herself a New Hampshire lake house.
