Powerball

Way back in the day the location I worked sold lottery tickets. The retailer got six cents on the dollar for every ticket sold, plus an added commission (2-3%, can't recall exactly) for any redeemed winning ticket (paid out by the location, max we could pay out was $600). If you sold a bigger winner than that, up to and including million-dollar winners, you got nothing. Only got it for actually handing the winning customer $. That was 20+ years ago so I'm not sure about the arrangement now.

 

The foot traffic, at convenience stores, is especially valuable. But basically a machine (and some square footage) that sits there and shits quarters? Winnah winnah, chicken dinnah!

 

Stores do get a payoff for big ticket wins or even for the lesser big prizes of a million or so on Powerball. Plus they get on TV and lots of other free pub to draw in more suckers. But it sure makes this afternoon a real bad time to go to the liquor store.

 

The great thing (from the store and the state's perspective) about instant tickets is that every Thursday and Friday is a big lottery night.

 

Hey, Dick revived memories of F_B on another thread, so YF's just reviving memories of d_b.

 

Those gas station convenience stores would be a hell of a lot more convenient if they had a machine that spit out those fucking scratch-off tickets so those, those ... humans ... who buy them all the time don't clog up the line at the register.

 

The store just over into Georgia has just such a machine. It also has separate lottery only lines so that customers buy can merchandise.

 

There should be an express lane for quick picks.

 

There probably is this weekend. Print off a bunch of tens and twenties and pass them out as appropriate. Lines have to be utterly insane.

 

Don't get me riled up all over again!