After no profitable tickets have been offered within the Mega Thousands and thousands lottery drawing earlier this week, prime executives at Elevating Cane's have purchased one other batch of tickets for all 50,000 staff to provide them a second likelihood at profitable the jackpot.
The Louisiana fast-food chain made headlines this week when founder Todd Graves purchased 50,000 Mega Thousands and thousands tickets for his staff and vowed to share the prize cash with all staff if he gained.
However with one other drawing scheduled for Friday at 11 p.m. EDT, officers at Elevating Cane's stated on Twitter they're offering employees with a second likelihood at profitable the prize — which is now value $1.28 billion.
"There are ONE BILLION the reason why I really like my Crew — hoping to share tonight's Mega Thousands and thousands jackpot with them!" Graves wrote in a Friday tweet.
Elevating Cane's did not instantly return a request for remark.
"Our crew members have been so stoked the final time," co-CEO AJ Kumaran advised the Washington Publish. "So we determined to strive our luck once more. And now we're all simply excited, ready and crossing our fingers for a win."
Kumaran stated the corporate spent $100,000 shopping for the lotto tickets, that are $2 a bit.
"I do not consider it as $100,000. It is actually $2 per crew member," he advised the newspaper. "And if you concentrate on it that means, it is simply a few bucks. They work very arduous each day, and we're doing this for them to have enjoyable and check their luck. So I be ok with doing it."
The jackpot winner may have the choice to obtain their winnings within the type of one lump sum fee of about $747 million or in annual funds over 30 years, in response to Mega Thousands and thousands.
The one that wins the Mega Thousands and thousands drawing will rating the second-highest pot within the recreation's historical past, officers stated Friday.
The chances of profitable Friday's Mega Thousands and thousands jackpot, whereby all 5 numbers drawn should match these on the ticket in addition to a sixth "mega ball" that should additionally match the mega ball quantity on the ticket, are 1 in 303 million. Different prizes can be found for matching fewer numbers. It was not instantly clear what Elevating Cane's would do with the winnings ought to it win a sequence of smaller prizes.
This yr has already seen three large jackpot wins: a $426 million win in California in January, a $128 million ticket in New York in March and a $110 million prize in Minnesota in April. The most important Mega Thousands and thousands jackpot ever was a staggering $1.5 billion, which was gained in South Carolina in 2018.