By Josh Resnek
There are two places in Everett where I feel good about purchasing Scratch Tickets.
The Tobacco Shop in North Everett next to the Dunkin Donuts is one.
The corner store in Everett Square is the other.
That being said, and really, it is more than most of our readers need to know, I had a yen to win $15 million on Labor Day while driving around the city taking photographs with my son.
We were working.
I had this feeling, a wonderful feeling, that I was going to win $15 million.
Mind you, I didn’t want to win $500, $5,000, $50,000, $100,000 or $1 million.
I was anticipating $15 million.
Everyone else was off Monday, presumably enjoying the holiday.
But think again about what a holiday it would be if you won $15 million buying a $30 Scratch Ticket.
Believe it or not, this actually happens although most of us would be hard pressed to produce a single person we know who can make that claim.
It is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.
Or as the great writer HG Wells once wrote, “Nature indulges in no such fantasies” such as handing common human beings $15 million for scratching a winning ticket.
When I hit Everett Square Monday afternoon, I was all set to win $15 million.
I was ready for the ride to Braintree.
I was absolutely psyched.
Think about it.
Think about winning $15 million with the scratch of a ticket – a single number matching a single winning number.
Of course, there are taxes to be paid. A $15 million hit after taxes for a one time payment is closer to $7.5 million.
Is it still worth the hit?
Yes it is.
So I bought two $30 tickets.
I handed one to my son.
Right there inside my car in Everett Square, we scratched those tickets, certain we were going to win. Delighted that we’d need to ride to Braintree to cash the winning ticket Tuesday.
You will admit, it is a righteous feeling when you are certain you are about to win $15 million.
Mind you, we don’t often do this as we are not gamblers. We certainly disqualify ourselves as gamblers buying Scratch Tickets. The odds are so distant we will win, that anyone will win $15 million are many millions to one.
My ticket malfunctioned.
That means I lost. There were no matches. This was a bummer.
It is one thing to be certain you are going to win $15 million with the scratch of a ticket.
It is another thing to lose $30, to win nothing, and to be out the $30.
“Look at this!” my son exclaimed.
It was a $50 winner – well a $20 winner as the ticket cost $30.
We immediately re-upped.
We had another minor winner – and then a final ticket and all was lost.
Instead of winning $15 million, I had lost $60 – a fitting tribute to Labor Day, 2022.