 |
May 31, 2006
|
||
 |
|||
 |
|||
|
May 31, 2006
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
| Online Phonebook | Sandhills Guide | Business News | National News |
 |
|
|
BY MATTHEW MORIARTY: Staff Writer Bob Greenleaf wants his wife to win the first Powerball drawing of which North Carolina is a part. He bought 65 tickets Tuesday morning -- the day Powerball became available in this state -- all of them for his wife. "I'm sending her away if she doesn't win," he joked. Tickets are $1, or $2 for a Power Play ticket. Greenleaf bought the tickets at the May Street Market in Southern Pines. Morris Pennington, owner of the market, said he expects Greenleaf to pay him a million-dollar kickback if he wins. "I will," Greenleaf said, "but I'm a lying old bastard." Such was the jovial atmosphere Tuesday morning as customers gladly forked over their cash for a chance at an estimated $38 million pot. Ticket sales began at 5 a.m. for most stores. According to Alice Garland, spokeswoman for the North Carolina Education Lottery, about 800 retailers statewide were delayed in selling Powerball tickets because they had accidentally turned off the terminals Monday night when the software was set to download. Once they turned them on Tuesday morning, the machines automatically started to download the software. Customers at the BP station in downtown Southern Pines had to wait hours for the download before they could buy tickets. Other stores had printer problems. About 500 retailers had to reboot their printers, including the Smokers Express in Southern Pines. To fix the problem, clerks had to press one button on the back of the printer, but so many stores were calling the help line that store clerks couldn't get through. "You couldn't get a straight answer," said Deborah Foley, clerk at the Smokers Express. "It was a one-button problem. Once we figured out what the problem was, we spread the word." North Carolina is the 29th state to join Powerball. Because states pool the money, the jackpots can become very large. The largest ever was $365 million. When the jackpot tops $200 million, it can cause a fever. The odds of winning the full jackpot are one in 146 million. George Bruch, a Virginian who now lives in Pinehurst, said he used to play Powerball in his home state. He bought a ticket Tuesday from Sue Elliott, owner of The Pinehurst Sundry and Soda Fountain. "[I bought it] because I need the money," Bruch said. Elliott, after fixing the printer problem, said sales had been brisk. Her shop is the only one in the village that sells lottery tickets. "I've done more [business] in Powerball than I have in sales," she said. She said she had no problem getting through on the technical support line when her printer was having a problem. "The lottery commission has been very, very good," she said. "On a scale of one to 10, I'd give them a solid 10." Elliott also said that she'd been pushing the lottery for selfish reasons. "The more tickets I sell, the more chance I've got of getting a bonus," she said. The first drawing will take place today at 11 p.m. Drawings take place every Wednesday and Saturday. Some residents are planning to be Powerball players for the long term. Pennington said two different customers came in and bought tickets for 52 straight drawings -- enough for half the year. He thinks the excitement around Powerball will help the sales of the scratch-off tickets as well. Those tickets had lost their luster in the last few weeks, he said. "It should breathe some new life into the scratch-off tickets," he said. But Pennington had his share of problems getting used to the new lottery. His were caused by operator error. He said: "I was putting the ticket in backwards."
Matthew Moriarty can be reached at 693-2479 or by e-mail at moriarty@thepilot.com. |
|
|
||
|
|
