Occasional player only buys tickets when the conditions are right
By Kate Northrop
FREMONT, Neb. — A single father played the lottery in the right place at the right time, since his decision to hang out at the store a little longer to buy Mega Millions tickets resulted in a $1 million prize.
While making a stop for a pre-made salad, a Nebraska man felt that the conditions were right to play the Mega Millions multi-state lottery game, and his feeling was right on the money.
Brant Edgington of Fremont stopped by Baker's on North Bell Street in Fremont to pick up a pre-made salad for the following day. He wasn't walking in expecting to buy a lottery ticket at all.
While his father and grandfather are avid Powerball and Mega Millions players, the same couldn't be said for Edgington, who only plays when the jackpots get high.
But that $977 million Mega Millions jackpot for the March 22 drawing was looking very convincing, and so he decided to hang around a little while longer at the store to put down a few dollars. Another customer ahead of him was cashing a pile of scratch-off tickets, but he felt it was worth waiting and purchased a ticket containing five Quick Pick plays.
Edgington looked at his tickets the following Saturday. He visited a retailer and was having trouble scanning the ticket on the self-serve machine, so he asked a clerk to check it for him.
"They disappeared for a minute," he recalled. "Then a different lady came up with her and they just stared at me. She told me, 'Don't pass out when I tell you this.'"
The store employees were the first to inform Edgington that he had won a $1 million Mega Millions prize. His Quick Pick ticket matched the five white ball numbers 3, 8, 31, 35, and 44, but missed the Mega Ball 16.
He visited Nebraska Lottery headquarters in Lincoln on Friday to claim his prize.
Despite the win, and enthusiasm for playing the lottery running in his family, Edgington is not sure he'll continue to play long-term.
"I don't play all that often," he told the Lottery. "As a single parent, baloney is more important, financially."
Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 pm Eastern Time (8:00 pm Pacific). The current Mega Millions jackpot is $120 million, set to be drawn Friday, April 12.
All winning numbers, prizes and odds can be found at USA Mega immediately after each drawing, and on Lottery Post's Lottery Results page.
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Congratulations winner, but you don't seem to be over joyed about the win.
hey congrats brother I try it nice way too make money hustle free
COMING
He was having trouble scanning the ticket, so he asked the clerk to check it for him They disappeared for a minute, then a different lady came forward Boy this had the makings of the ol' switcheroo They could have handed him a different ( losing ticket) and said sorry this ticket is a loser..
I like the fact that he only plays on occasion and did not expect some long shot lottery win to support him financially. Shows good sense. Congrats to him. He plays like I play.
He is probably thinking about college being affordable for his children vs fancy cars.
I'm happy for him. He sounds like the type that will be careful with his winnings! However, I would never trust cashiers to check my ticket for me, I would drive to 10 different stores before I handed over my ticket for them to check. At least download the lottery app on your phone.
How much he will get after taxes,somebody tells me ...
Wow , nice story, he goes for salad, encounters honest clerk and wins lots of cash, I call that the best day ever.
Congrats to the healthy eater.
So true. I forgot the salad part and he eats healthy. Another good point for him.
I disagree. Where do you see a scowl on his face? All I see is a nice big smile!
But then again how healthy is baloney?
"As a single parent, baloney is more important, financially."
Guess he won't have to worry about that anymore...
Why these gamblers always claim they only play once in a while. Yeah Right.
Congratilations my brother
You are a member of a gambling site and sound a little jealous.
I rarely play pb or mm or any lottery. So a lot of us just play when the mood strikes. I cannot fathom staying up to see any lottery drawing and only did it once. Some people have lives and being in every drawing is a waste of time and money. So yes, some people have different priorities and some people are destined to win and others are not.
Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. But regardless of the truth, any winner who is pushed to make a statement should either say nothing, or keep it vague and say they only play once in a while. Nothing good would come from admitting publicly precisely how frequently one plays the lottery. If you're one of those people who has to buy a ticket for every single drawing and you happen to win, just copy what this guy said.