Lottery lucky for County residents, businesses

By Kathy McCarty  
Staff Writer
    Luck has been favorable for a few Aroostook County individuals playing games through the Maine State Lottery in recent months.
    With an investment of $5, Lyman Messer, of Fort Fairfield, earned himself a new car. Purchasing a $5 Mustang Money ticket won him the fourth of five 2008 Ford Mustangs being given away to lucky ticket holders. The lottery Web site did not specify where the ticket was purchased.
    A Mapleton-area couple had Christmas come early, with the purchase of a Megabucks ticket. Lottery Director Dan Gwadosky recently presented Terrence and Neddel Griffin with their winning check on Sept. 8 in Augusta. After taxes, the couple received just under $398,000. Neddel told lottery officials she plans to spend some of the money on a new car. The couple purchased their winning ticket a Mapleton business, Tenney’s Country Store.
    On Oct. 8, Lottery officials released the names of Powerball Homestead-Miami Second Chance Drawing winners. Prizes included trip winners, a $5,000 winner and several $1,000 winners.
    Local winners of $1,000 each included: Peter Starr, of Mapleton, and Eileen M. Folkins, of Houlton.
    Winning continued for lottery players in Aroostook County, with the Lottery’s announcement Oct. 22 of the latest winner in its Paycheck game. A ticket sold at Parent’s Country Store, in Caswell, was selected as a jackpot winner of $2,500 a month for 10 years in the Oct. 21 paycheck drawing. The winner has not been identified.
    September marked a milestone for the Maine State Lottery. On Sept. 9, the Lottery surpassed a total of $2 billion in prizes paid out to players since its inception.
    “People win everyday,” said Gwadosky, “In fact, the Lottery typically averages $2.8 million per week in prizes paid out. This is an exciting landmark number that we are thrilled to reach.”
    “It’s amazing when you think about the winners,” added Gwadosky. “Since 1985, there have been 198 Megabucks jackpot winners in Maine. One of the most recent is a player from Lubec who won more than $6 million on a Megabucks ticket in May of this year.” While there is always interest in the jackpot games, Gwadosky explained that it is the everyday winners who reinforce the Lottery’s attraction and success.
    According to Lottery officials, total Maine Lottery sales from 1974-2008 were $3.3 billion. In Fiscal Year 2008 the Lottery had sales of $228 million with instant scratch tickets accounting for 72 percent of total sales. Last year $49.4 million was deposited into the state’s General Fund, which was then redistributed to over 250 various state programs. Since its inception, the Lottery has returned $883 million to the General Fund.