FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) – With the Mega Millions jackpot at $510 million and the Powerball at $470 million, Wisconsin is seeing one of the largest combined jackpots in history.
“Richer than Aaron Rodgers. You won’t be as rich as Elon Musk, but you’ll have a good chunk,” said Phil Moses.
That’s why shop owners around Fond du Lac’s Miracle Mile are preparing for the best. Moses owns Philly’s on 4th Grocery and Deli.
“I sold a $6.5 million winner back in 1994, and my son sold a $280 million winner in 2010ish,” Moses said. “Back then, it was a real big deal. I mean, we’d have lines out the door, people waiting, and we’d sell a ton of tickets.”
But it’s been a few years since anyone along the Miracle Mile has won big. Moses has faith that the drought will end soon, and is crossing his fingers that it comes this weekend.
“They call it jackpot fatigue around here. There hasn’t been a real big winner, but we’re thinking that the mile is going to come back and Philly’s on Fourth is going to be the first one hit again,” Moses told WTAQ News.
Shops along the Miracle Mile all know each other, and Moses says there is some friendly competition surrounding big wins. He says he often talks a little smack to his neighbors at Hanson’s BP over on Johnson Street.
“She sells all these Badger 5 winners that add up to maybe a couple million, but I always tell her we at least got the the $208 million and the $6.5 million winner. So she’s got a long ways to go,” Moses said.
Julie of Hanson’s BP was unable to provide comment or return the trash talk on record today.
Stores in Wisconsin get six-cents per ticket sold, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but Moses says it can add up when things get rolling. If they sell the winning jackpot, the max cap in the state allows them to win up to $100,000. Meanwhile in Illinois, the rules allow for 1% of the winnings – which in this case could net them about $5 million.
A chance at the Mega Millions is just $2, but that drawing is set for Friday night. The Powerball will be held on Saturday. If you want to gain riches beyond your imagination, Moses has a few theories on how to reel in the big one.
“Pick up a ticket, some chicken. I think the last person that won, they bought some chicken before they bought the winning ticket. So if you’re superstitious out there,” Moses laughed. “Pool your money, buy a couple, we can have $300-worth ready for you within a couple minutes. There’s pretty much no waiting down here right now, but before the jackpot this Friday and Saturday, it gets pretty busy.”
But in the end, Moses is just hopeful someone will get to live out their dreams. He just wishes he could be the one to hand over the ticket.
The Mega Millions is the eighth-largest jackpot in the game’s history. It would be about $377.4 million if taken in cash. The Powerball is the tenth-largest in that game’s history. A cash win would pull in about $362.7 million.
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