How many times have you picked up a scratch off lottery ticket hoping to win the big jackpot? What if you knew where the luckiest towns have been in Ohio in the last three years? Where the luckiest store is?
We combed through a massive amount of data from the Ohio Lottery finding the cities and towns that have four or more big winners of $25,000 or more. The top two, based on population, are right here in Northeast Ohio.
"I was in a state of shock for a couple minutes," said Eric Baucan.
"I'm looking (at the ticket) and I'm like 'Oh, my God!'” grinned Sandy Baucan
They’re smiling because the Baucans, from Garfield Heights, know all about lucky scratch off tickets. Just last year they won $2 million.
"We now we have opportunities to do things we never did before,” reflected Eric.
"I didn't know it and I'm amazed and now I'll just have to try and win more," said Barb Hoover. She lives in Sheffield Lake which is the second luckiest city in all of Ohio. In the past three years, there have been eight major winners.
Sheffield Lake only has a population of about 9,000, some of whom have interesting lottery rituals.
“When I buy the instants, I always go in the backyard with the dog and I take the dog out with me and say, 'Okay, Ollie, I'm going to scratch the tickets off. Let's be lucky!'” said Hoover.
Shannon Shockley has lived her whole life in Sheffield Lake. She works at Brownie's Market that sold a couple of the huge winning tickets. Their regular players have big dreams.
"A lot of people tell me that they'll buy me a car and stuff. I'm still waiting on a couple of 'em,” laughed Shockley.
But what about the luckiest town in Ohio?
It's Wakeman where Rick Bauder knows, alongside the picturesque, down-home feel of Wakeman, lots of people have been feeling lucky.
"There was one lady who won $52,000 out here on a scratch-off,” Bauder told us. In fact, in the last three years, Wakeman, with a population of 1,032, has had four major scratch-off winners. That's one winner for every 258 residents.
The Mickey Mart sold three of those big tickets in Wakeman. Something employees said is like hitting the lottery themselves. "We've got a lot going on for our little town,” said Store Manager Kim Woods. “Our little town is trying to grow and become something."
"We're hustling the lottery out here,” laughed Bauder. “Everyone come to Wakeman!"
The luckiest store in the state of Ohio is on the west side of Cleveland where plenty of players are scratching their lottery itch.
"Whe's a big freak. Every time I go to the store, will you grab me a $2 scratchee?” laughed Bryan Steinke. He was talking about his wife when he goes to the One Stop Sunoco on Storer Avenue. That store produced four giant scratch-off winners in three years making it the luckiest store in Ohio.
Steinke and his wife had no idea. "She's going to want me to buy some more tickets. That's for sure!" chuckled Steinke.
So what's the secret? One Stop Store Owner Scott Kollab told us you have to go to a place that sells many books of tickets so there's more turnover for game winners and you should tap into the knowledge of the cashiers.
“’Hey, play on this one. This one is better. Nobody hit on this one,’” said Kollab. “(I like) chatting with people and just giving them the ideas which is next, which might hit has been good."
And who knows, you might be the next to scratch and win like the Baucans.
"Completely life changing, starting over,” said Eric Baucan.
"We’re not having to worry about living paycheck to paycheck,” Sandy told us.
Based on the data provided by the Ohio Lottery, in the past 3 years there have been 865 major scratch-off winning tickets of $25,000 or more.
The total number of tickets sold during those 3 years is 1,061,804,885. There have been 865 winning scratch-off tickets of $25,000 or more. So, you can see your odds of hitting the big one. The Ohio Lottery reminds you to play responsibly.
