People flock to lucky California store to buy lottery tickets for $1.15 billion jackpot

(27 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawthorne, California - 26 December 2024
1. People lined up outside Bluebird Liquor store
2. Line of people near Bluebird Liquor entrance
3. Sign: $1.15 Billion
4. Man buying tickets
5. Cashier selling tickets
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Chen, Buying Lottery Tickets:
"Not a tradition. I buy a dollar here and there. But when it's a big one you kind of throw a little more money at it, so hopefully I'll win the jackpot, yeah."
7. Chen checks jackpot on phone app
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Chen, Buying Lottery Tickets:
"I don't know. There's a lot of options. So I'll have to win it first."
9. Chen holding tickets
10. Woman buying tickets
11. Ivan Minera rubs blue bird for good luck
UPSOUND (Spanish) Ivan Minera: "A lot of luck, a lot of luck with the bird."
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Ivan Minera, Buying Lottery Tickets:
"And I came here to see there's still lucky one liquor store. We come into Bluebird all the time. Now it's a big one."
(Reporter: "How big is this one?")
Minera: "I think over a billion dollars. And I come from, I don't care if I have to split that money. I will take it."
13. Phyllis McElhaney rubs bird for luck while Lisa Saridakis buys tickets
14. Lottery sign that stopped at $999 million
15. Lisa Saridakis rubs bird for luck
16. McElhany and Saridakis exit store
UPSOUND (English) Reporter: "So how was it?"
UPSOUND (English) Saridakis: "Yes, yes, yes!"
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Phyllis McElhaney, Buying Lottery Tickets:
"We want to win the big one."
(Reporter: "What's the big one?")
McElhaney: "It's a billion dollars, isn't it? That's a big one."
18. People on line outside store, woman with tickets poses for reporter
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Lisa Saridakis, Buying Lottery Tickets:
"Well there's four of us and we've got $160. All right! Let's go!"
20. People on line outside store
21. Blue bird in store name sign
STORYLINE:
Friday night’s Mega Millions lottery drawing is worth an estimated $1.15 billion. The drawing is set for 11 p.m. EST (0400GMT).

The prize has evoked headlines across the country. Many people are heading to local stores to buy tickets.

On Thursday, people waited in line outside of Bluebird Liquor in Hawthorne, California.

Bluebird has a reputation as a lucky store. It has previously sold multiple winning Powerball and Mega Millions tickets.

Some customers rubbed a small statue of a bluebird for luck as they made their purchases.

Ivan Minera said "a lot of luck, a lot of luck with the bird," in Spanish as he rubbed the bird with his freshly-purchased tickets.

Phyllis McElhaney also rubbed the bird, commenting "we want to win the big one."

She bought tickets along with family member Lisa Saridakis, who said "there's four of us and we've got $160. All right! Let's go!"

Gary Chen said he hadn't decided what he'll do if he wins the jackpot.

There's a lot of options. So I'll have to win it first," he said.







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