SOUTH BEND ― For two Hoosier Lottery players, this could be their lucky weekend.
The estimated Mega Millions jackpot for Friday, Oct. 7, is $410 million, and the estimated Power Ball jackpot for Saturday, Oct. 8, is $387 million. Drawings occur at 11 p.m. both days.
Taking a chance
Ken Laskowski of South Bend, a retired postal service worker, said he often visits the Martin’s Super Market on South Bend Avenue to purchase lottery tickets. He once even won $60.
Friday morning, Laskowski purchased a Mega Millions ticket, a Power Ball ticket and a Hoosier Lotto ticket.
If he were to win the lottery, he said he would “probably (buy) a brand new house, a brand new truck, help friends and family, and donate some to church.” He would help his friends and family pay off their mortgages and maybe buy new cars, he said.
Cause for consideration
Susie Marchioli did not purchase a lottery ticket Friday morning but said this weekend’s jackpots would certainly cause her to consider it.
If she won, the California resident, who was visiting her condo in South Bend for the weekend, said she would pay off her house and help her grandchildren and three children.
After that, “I would absolutely give to charity, to my church, to different organizations, like Samaritan’s Purse that would help all these people who are in need right now,” Marchioli said.
‘Something nice for my parents’
James Plaschke, a Notre Dame student originally from California, also did not purchase a lottery ticket. He said he has purchased scratch-offs in the past but is usually “not super lucky.”
However, if he ever won the lottery, Plaschke said, “I would probably do something nice for my parents, and then I’d probably invest or save the rest.”
Eventually, he said, he would use the money to buy a “super nice house on a beach somewhere,” probably back in his home state.
‘A world trip’
Unlike Plaschke, South Bend resident Joseph Kaiser doesn’t mind testing his luck.
Kaiser said he plays the lottery about twice a day and once won $100, which he used to go out to dinner. Friday, he purchased a Mega Millions and a Power Ball ticket.
If he were to hit the jackpot, Kaiser said he would go on “a world trip.”
“I’d start off in Hawaii and just head around the world,” he said. He added he’d also like to visit Australia to “see what they have to offer.”
