Utahns With Lotto Fever Flock To Idaho

With more than half a billion dollars on the line, lottery fever has struck.

A few convenience stores in Malad have become a mega millions mecca, for Utahns feeling lucky.

Malad is just on the Idaho side of the border with Utah, and in the beehive state selling lottery tickets isn’t allowed, giving Utahns about 640 million reasons to make the trip.

Utahns swarmed the few convenience stores in Malad, creating lines that people waited in for hours.

While many stuck in the line may not have liked Utah’s decision to not sell lottery tickets in the state, the manager of one convenience store is plenty glad.

“I am very glad they don’t. They are the majority of our business,? Malad C-Store Manager Alexis Daniels said.

The chances of winning the big jackpot are about 175 million to one.

But those buying the tickets weren’t going to let a little thing like mathematical odds get in the way of planning what they’ll do with the cash.

“I would divide it among a lot of people. I’d share it and we’d all be very well off,? Daniels said.

“My first thing is to build a center for my church in Salt Lake City,? John McCray said.