TACOMA, Wash. — Garry's on Pearl in Tacoma says the growing Powerball drawing is bringing more customers in -- but lottery ticket purchases are pretty typical.
"We have more people that know that it's a lucky spot, a lot of people have been coming in and every time even the regular lottery goes up, we get a pretty good boom when it comes to customers," owner Garry Gill said.
Before Gill bought the store a few years ago, he says it was called Jackpot -- and customers say it had a history of winning tickets then, too.
The store sold a $2.5 million ticket in 2021 and, recently, a ticket with a $50,000 prize. That went to one of their regulars, who shared the news while coming in to buy a drink.
"He walked in so casually and was like, 'Just wanna let you know I won $50,000,'" Gill said. "I was like 'No you didn't,' and he was like 'Yeah I did.' A few days later we get a call from Washington State lottery."
Gill says he and his workers pride themselves on serving the community as a local store and they love seeing people win. The store also gets a cut of prizes, though the size ranges based on the specific game. He says if there's a trick to choosing the winning numbers, he doesn't know it yet.
"Honestly if I knew that, I probably would be giving a different interview right now," Gill said. "It's a game that a lot of customers say, 'I don't play.' I tell them, you're not gonna win if you don't play. I mean, what are the chances?"
Gill himself can't buy a ticket from his own store but is considering buying one elsewhere.