One more day until lottery fever hits
By Staff and Wire
Published in News on March 29, 2006 1:48 PM
Linda McIntosh at the Rones Chapel Friendly Mart is not looking forward to the work that will accompany the debut of scratch-off tickets in North Carolina Thursday.
She said when people come in to buy lottery tickets she will probably be the one who has "pulled all her hair out."
And she knows that because most of her customers aren't waiting patiently for tomorrow's debut.
"I'm sure they'll be lined up tomorrow. They're already asking questions," said Ms. McIntosh, who opens the store at 6 a.m.
But in spite of the extra work, Ms. McIntosh she says she thinks the lottery will be good for business -- even if it does have a downside.
"Food Lion will have it, too, and they'll probably have to hire someone to do just that. It's exciting, but it's not," said Ms. McIntosh, who is from New York. The lottery is big there. "The poor people would buy the tickets hoping for a windfall, and it hurts."
Ms. McIntosh attended a special class provided by the Lottery Commission to learn how to sell the tickets. The commission sent people from different states that already have lottery sales.
"I went Monday. My teacher was from Rhode Island," she said.
The stores can redeem up to $599, and those winning $600 or more will have go to regional offices. The nearest ones are in Greenville and Wilmington. The main office is in Raleigh.
She said she expects the scratch-off cards, which start selling Thursday, will bring a lot of winners.
"Wouldn't it be an awful thing to start out the process and not have many winners?"