Mega frenzy

POST FALLS - Kootenai County lottery players are dreaming on.

Tonight's draw for a record $540 million Mega Millions jackpot and lottery luck history here have ticket outlet doors a swinging.

"It's a frenzy," said Jeff Moss, owner of Handy Mart in Post Falls, describing the anticipation.

The store sold more than 1,500 tickets on Tuesday during the hours before the last draw.

"I'm sure we'll sell more than that (today)," Moss said.

It normally sells about 200 on a given day.

Post Falls' Rebecca Lee said she generally doesn't play the lottery, but the record "made me do it" this time.

"I'd faint first," Lee said when asked what she would do if she won.

"Then, after I woke up, I'd get out of Dodge to figure out how I'd spend it ... probably to buy a nice new home or two in different places, spend it on every relative that I know and don't know and give a lot to charities."

Kootenai County has lottery luck history on its side.

There have been nine six-figure winners here in the past 15 months topped by Rathdrum's Holly Lahti equally splitting the third-largest jackpot of $380 million with Jim McCullar of Ephrata, Wash., in January 2011.

Lahti and some other big winners purchased their tickets at Ady's Convenience and Car Wash in Post Falls, which lottery players don't need to be reminded of.

Brad Wilde, the store's manager, called this week "crazy busy."

"It's so busy that I really don't have time to talk," he said between helping customers. "We're known as the lucky spot and everyone is coming here."

Moss has a different take.

"People are saying it's our turn to win, so they're buying here (at Handy Mart)," Moss said.

Ticket counters are busy everywhere, but Moss said there's no clear trend on buying habits.

"Some people are investing double of what they normally spend, but a lot of people are just sticking to one chance (for $1) because that's all it takes to win," he said.

"But they're all hyped up."

Lottery player Mike Childress of Post Falls admits he's that way for this draw.

"It's always fun to dream a little," he said, adding that he's mostly ho-hum for other draws. "You don't lose hope on winning, but you don't bet your savings on it either. It's just something to get excited about. Five-hundred million is hard to comprehend. I put it right up there with the national debt as hard to comprehend."

A few convenience store customers, including Coeur d'Alene's Sharon Bollmer, can still resist buying a ticket even with the record carrot.

"I thought about it, but times are tough and the odds of winning (one in 175 million) are slim to none," she said.

In the past three Mega Millions draws, two tickets sold in southern Idaho matched all five of the first numbers, but not the Mega Ball number. They are $250,000 winners and remain unclaimed.

Since late January, there have been 61,500 winning Mega Millions tickets worth $887,000 sold in Idaho. Two $10,000 winners sold in Kootenai County for last Friday's draw haven't been claimed.

The deadline to purchase a ticket for tonight's draw is 6:55 p.m.

"Only play what you can afford, don't go overboard," said Idaho Lottery Director Jeff Anderson. "Regular players, casual players, family pools, office pools ... everyone seems to be jumping into the game for their chance at winning."

Mega Millions jackpot facts

* The $540 million is a world-record jackpot.

* The third-largest jackpot - $380 million - was split equally between Rathdrum's Holly Lahti and Jim McCullar of Ephrata, Wash., in January 2011.

* The previous-highest jackpot was $390 million won on March 6, 2007, in New Jersey and Georgia.

* The one-time, cash lump sum option of the current jackpot is $389.8 million.

* The 26-payment annuity option is about $20.76 million per year, which breaks down to $1.73 million per month or $56,902 per day.

* Odds of winning the jackpot are one in 176 million.

* The jackpot has rolled 18 times since a Georgia woman won $72 million in the Jan. 24 drawing.

* Mega Millions tickets are sold in 42 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands.