Lotto hopefuls buy tickets for $77 million

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1999 | 3:22 a.m.

The people came mostly from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, hoping to win the Sunshine State's $77 million jackpot, said owner Jim Kahalley.

"There's quite a few buying for family or groups," Kahalley said as he waited on customers. "We haven't had time to talk to them about it. We're just trying to get them out as fast as we can."

By 1 p.m. Wednesday, retailers around Florida were selling a combined 15,000 tickets per minute. That was expected to rise to 25,000 per minute by dinner time, said state lottery spokesman Leo DiBenigno.

With an 11 p.m. drawing time Wednesday, ticket buyers kept lottery machines clicking throughout the day and into the night.

"People are doing their holiday shopping later than usual, and we suspect there are some people that may get turned away," DiBenigno said.

The jackpot began as a measly little $3 million Nov. 13 and has grown to the fifth largest in state history after nine rollovers. The biggest was $106.5 million shared by six winners in 1990.

A single winner would have a choice of $35.7 million cash or 30 annual payments of $2.56 million a year. That's $49,359 per week or $293.80 an hour, DiBenigno said.

Sales are expected to be especially heavy Wednesday night in the Florida Panhandle, where lottery players drive from around the South to stores like Lot O'Snacks.

But Kahalley, the owner, said the pots would be even bigger if the state had not switched to twice-weekly drawings.

"Retailers don't like the twice-a-week," he said. "The pots are not big enough ... They do more rollover with once a week."

When the lottery jackpot goes so high, officials have extra ticket machines ready to send to store owners for temporary use.

In recent days, lottery officials have sent out 40 more terminals to border areas, DiBenigno said.

If nobody wins Wednesday night and the jackpot rolls over again, the Florida Lottery will likely send out six more machines - one to Miami, one to Orlando, and four to the Panhandle, he said.