BENTONVILLE — Monday was the first day Arkansans were able to pick up scratch-off lotterytickets at area convenience stores to go along with that pack of gum and Coca-Cola for the road.
As the excitement for the state lottery began to build Sunday, Tim Pennington, manager of the White Oak Station on Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard, started to get phone calls from excited people waiting toplay the lottery, he said.
At midnight, the scratch-off tickets officially went on sale, and four people were waiting inside the store to be among the first to get their tickets, Pennington said.
"One customer came in and bought $50 worth of tickets and had $46 in winnings," Pennington said."I was real tickled to see him come back when he won."
When Clavin Clary of Eureka Springs stopped at the store, he was there for a quick cup of coffee and a lottery ticket.
"I want to win some money," Clary said.
Jeannie Clary of Springdale, accustomed to driving into Missouri to purchase her lottery tickets, is excited to be able to buy them closer to home.
She purchased two $2 scratchoff tickets in hopes of winning a little money.
"This is a lot of fun," she said.
When Jason McNelly of Bella Vista entered the store, he knewwhat he was after.
"I could not wait to get off work so I could come buy (scratch-off lottery tickets)," McNelly said, filled with hope that the winning ticket might be in his hands.
"Somebody has got to be a winner, and I hope it is me," McNelly said, "I have got big plans and no money."
The E-Z Mart store on Southwest A Street in Bentonville also had a busy Monday.
"Everyone is excited. We had one person who came in and bought $55 worth (of tickets). They are having a blast," said Rozina Smith, manager of the E-Z Mart.
Even Smith was able to get in on the lotto fun. Before she reported to work, she stopped at another E-Z Mart and purchased $5 in tickets.
Although she did not win this morning, there is still plenty of money to be had.
As of noon Monday, there were still 14 $3,000 tickets, six $20,000 tickets, 11 $25,000 tickets and three $100,000 tickets waiting to be scratched off across the state, Pennington said.
Another neat thing about the state's lottery system is that "anytime a customer wants to know what winnings are left, they can just come up and ask, and we will be able to tell them," Pennington said.
News, Pages 1, 7 on 09/29/2009