Deanna Scardina-Mozdzen walked into Goldberg's Liquors in Brooklyn Park this morning not for a bottle of wine or a six-pack, but for a chance at $355 million.
The 28-year-old master's degree student doesn't usually play the lottery. But with tonight's Mega Millions jackpot at an estimated $355 million, Scardina-Mozdzen joined with Marylanders across the state in buying tickets for the eye-popping prize. She bought $5 worth of tickets and $8 worth for her parents — all using numbers chosen at random. Each ticket costs $1.
"I came here because my grandmother won here quite a bit," she said of the modest winnings her late grandmother acquired over the years. "I've been playing for the last two weeks because the jackpot has gotten so huge."
The gigantic jackpot has skyrocketed Mega Millions tickets sales in Maryland. Tonight's jackpot was initially estimated at about $330 million, but after a conference call between lottery directors, Mega Millions officials decided at about 11:40 a.m. to bump up the prize to $355 million, based on the brisk sales.
Last Monday, Mega Millions sales were about $300,000, according to state lottery officials. Yesterday, tickets sales reached $1.1 million. If someone wins tonight and chooses the cash option, the prize is worth $224.2 million before taxes. After taxes, the payout shrinks to $147.4 million.
"This is the time when everybody jumps on board," said Carole Everett, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Lottery. "Even your casual Mega Millions players will say, 'What the hell? I'll give it a shot.'"
Mega Millions is played in 41 states and the District of Columbia. Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. Mega Millions holds the record for the largest jackpot ever in North America: $390 million on March 6, 2007. In 2000, a Mega Millions jackpot of $363 million was split between two winners from Michigan and Illinois. In Maryland, a single winner won the state's largest Mega Millions jackpot of $183 million in 2003.
Allen Aronstein, owner of Goldberg's, said the big jackpots mean increased sales. On New Year's Eve, when the Mega Millions jackpot hovered at around $290 million, clerks pre-printed quick-pick tickets and handed them to customers in an effort to avoid long lines.
"It was so busy," said Aronstein, whose family has owned Goldberg's since 1973.
Kathy Wright, a clerk at the store, said several people have come in buying tickets for office pools. And regulars have increased the number of tickets they normally buy, she said.
Keith Watson, a construction manager from Annapolis, said he usually doesn't play, but stopped at Goldberg's to buy 3 tickets early Tuesday when the jackpot was still estimated at $330 million.
"Why only $3? I'm cheap," he said. "I usually save my money. I don't waste it. But for $330 million, it's worth it. It's better than the interest I'm getting at the bank."
Howard "Butch" Jones, 59, is an avid lottery player and bought $11 worth of lottery tickets this morning, including two Mega Millions. About a month ago, he won $600 on a Pick 4 ticket, but he said he can't even imagine what he'd do with the windfall.
"I'd have a heart attack," said Jones, who is retired. "I'd never have a chance to spend it."
Rashid Zaman, manager of an Exxon gas station and convenience store in Columbia, said the store usually averages about $3,000 weekly in lottery sales. With the huge jackpot, he expected his store's sales to rise to up to $8,000.
William Lloyd stopped by the Exxon for an afternoon snack — a Baby Ruth candy bar and a large Mountain Dew. Using his change, the Howard County Recreation and Parks Department employee purchased three tickets. Although he imagined using the winnings to pay his mortgage and to finance his children's college education, the Eldersburg resident knows the odds of winning are tough.
"All the stars have to be aligned," said Lloyd, 46.
If no one wins tonight, the jackpot balloons to $480 million.
nicole.fuller@baltsun