With the Powerball jackpot climbing to over $1 billion, players not only from California but from surrounding states have been arriving in droves to buy tickets from one “lucky” minimarket in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District.
Two and a half months ago, a customer at Las Palmitas Mini Market bought the only ticket in the country to hit a $1.08 billion jackpot.
The person who purchased the winning ticket at Maria Menjivar’s store is the last to win the Powerball main prize, which, like Menjivar’s business, has been growing ever since.
“My business has increased over 40 percent,” she told the California Lottery. “Not only am I selling more lottery tickets, people are buying other items in my store when they come in.”
Whenever a store sells the winning ticket to a big jackpot, “that store suddenly becomes the lucky place,” the California Lottery stated in a report.
Some of those hopeful winners have been driving hundreds of miles to buy tickets from Menjivar, who took home $1 million herself for selling the winning ticket.
“I’ve had people from Arizona, Las Vegas… from all over come here to buy their tickets now. They even want to take pictures with me because they are so excited. It’s been a rollercoaster,” Menjivar said.
California Lottery states that it has been able to raise more than $77 million for public education just from sales of this game alone.
About 80 cents of every two-dollar Powerball ticket sold in California helps support schools across the state.
