LOTTO fever has agencies doing triple their usual business, with players hoping the North East’s 2008 record of being the most successful country region in Victoria rubs off for a $30 million megadraw tonight.
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The North East last year amassed $19,761,860 in big wins with 13 first division prizes sold across the region.
The biggest windfall, $10 million, was claimed by a Wangaratta woman who bought her winning ticket from Wangaratta Lotto, Card and Tobacconist for a Powerball draw in November.
Business has been swift at the same agency over recent days, with owner Anthony D’Agostino saying the store had become known locally as “the lucky shop”.
“We’ve had people 10 deep pretty much most of the day and I think it’s only going to get worse,” Mr D’Agostino said.
“It’s almost triple the number of people we usually get.
“We’re getting people who don’t normally play, coming in for the $30 million.”
Mr D’Agostino said the success in the Powerball draw had been a boost.
“I think that helps because everyone knows us as the lucky shop after the $10 million win and also we had a second division go off three or four months ago.”
With Wangaratta having helped boost the North East tally of winnings, the owner of Wodonga Plaza Cards and Tattslotto, Paul McKenzie-McHarg, reckons the Border city is due.
“There have been wins at Wangaratta, Beechworth and Cobram — Wodonga’s the next one, we’re due and we’ll take it,” Mr McKenzie-McHarg said.
He is expecting tonight’s draw to attract three times as many entries as a normal Saturday night fixture.
“It’s been enormous (the business), it’s the biggest one each year,” Mr McKenzie-McHarg said.
The North East’s first division winnings total of $19,761,860.13 was well behind the luckiest area in the state, Melbourne North, which had a total of $72 million.
However that massive figure was largely the result of a $58.7 million win.
Melbourne South had the highest number of first division wins — 36.
