Trevor Ritchhart made the drive south from Cheyenne to Wellington on Thursday afternoon with one thought in mind: becoming the Cowboy State’s newest mega-millionaire.
Like others from Wyoming — where Mega Millions lottery tickets cannot be bought — Ritchhart just couldn’t resist. At the Loaf ‘N Jug across the state line in Wellington, Ritchhart placed $20 on the counter for Mega Millions tickets, putting his overall tab for lottery tickets this month at 100 bucks.
And why not? As of Thursday afternoon, the Mega Millions jackpot had grown to a whopping $540 million.
“I have as good of a chance as anyone else,” Ritchhart said.
He has big plans if he does win.
“Myself and my family will be set,” he said. “Can’t wait to buy a nice house, donate to charity, all kinds of things.”
The $540 million is the biggest jackpot ever for Mega Millions, said Colorado Lottery spokeswoman Heather Black. Tickets for Mega Millions — $1 each — are sold in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. About $3.5 million in tickets for tonight’s drawing had been sold by Thursday afternoon in Colorado alone, Black said.
There are nine prize levels in all, Black said. She encourages buyers also to purchase the “megaplier” for an extra dollar to increase winnings, excluding the jackpot. If a ticket-holder hits all five numbers but not the mega ball, for example, the megaplier will turn $250,000 into $1 million.
“It’s a chance to turn a dollar into a half-billion, so it’s exciting,” Black said of buying a Mega Millions ticket.
Utah also doesn’t participate in Mega Millions, so the Loco Travel Stop across the state line in Fruita was hopping Thursday.
Assistant manager Lee Havens said about a quarter of those buying Mega Millions tickets were from Utah.
“Most of them are buying $5 or $10 worth. We’ve had a few buy 50 or 60 bucks worth,” Havens said. “We have a couple who are regulars from Price, Utah, come in and spend between $200 and $250.”
At the Wellington Loaf ‘N Jug, clerk Holly Beckwith said the store is bringing in extra clerks today before the jackpot is announced at 9 p.m. local time, although Black said people should purchase their tickets by 7:30 p.m.
“People say, ‘I’m from Wyoming, and I don’t know what to do,’ ” Beckwith said of those unfamiliar with the game. “It’s been crazy.”
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
For the uninitiated
Here’s how Mega Millions works: For $1, you pick five numbers from 1 to 56 and then pick a mega-ball number from 1 to 46. Match all six, and you’ve hit the jackpot of more than a half a billion dollars.
