Who’s playing $1.3 billion Mega Millions lottery on Friday the 13th? Dan Marino fans!
Buying a ticket for the $1.3 billion Mega Millions lottery on Friday the 13th has bad luck written all over it — unless you’re in South Florida, where 13 is a special number.
“It’s no bad luck. Most of the time my numbers have a 13 in them, since I’m a [Dan] Marino fan. And Bam [Adebayo],” said Hollywood resident L.J. Toussaint, of his favorite Miami Dolphins and Miami Heat players.
“I just got one with 13, before I even thought about [Friday the 13th]. [I’ll] probably get a few more on Friday, definitely with 13s,” said Toussaint, standing outside a convenience store near downtown Fort Lauderdale on Thursday.
The nationwide Mega Millions jackpot rose to $1.35 billion after no winner was selected during the biweekly drawing on Tuesday. The next drawing is at 11 p.m. Friday.
Sure to rise as more tickets are purchased, the current jackpot would be the second highest grand prize in the 20-year history of the Mega Millions lottery. The massive number has encouraged casual players and newbies across South Florida to consider Mega Millions.
To take part, each player picks five numbers between 1 and 70, which will be represented on white balls at Friday night’s drawing, and another Mega Ball number, shown on a gold ball. The lottery machine also can generate a random Quick Pick batch of numbers for you. Each play costs $2. The deadline to buy a ticket before the next drawing is 10 p.m. Friday.
There are nine ways to win at least some money at Mega Millions, but the odds of hitting the big jackpot are less than 1 in 300 million. A winner will have the option of taking $1.35 billion in 29 annual payments or as a lump sum of $707.9 million.
At Nobleman’s Cut & Shave in Fort Lauderdale’s Progresso neighborhood, co-owner Kevin Grande doesn’t play the lottery often, but plans to make an effort to buy some tickets on Friday the 13th — one for himself and one for his mom.
The Plantation resident was born on Dec. 13 and feels a kinship to the number.
“It’s actually my favorite day — 13 is my favorite number and Friday’s my favorite day of the week,” the Plantation resident said. “And it’s my mother’s birthday tomorrow.”
BIG 105.9 radio personality Paul Castronovo admits he’s “a player” and will have buddy Dan Marino’s number on his list when buying tickets on Friday.
“Oh, I’ve already moved to Italy in my mind. Just haven’t figured out if the yacht is gonna meet me there or not,” he said.
If he wins, Castronovo promised his on-air swansong would not be short — but more Derek Jeter than KISS or Elton John — then he’d cut $100,000 checks to co-workers Heather Nelson and Mike Anderson, and hit the bricks.
“I’d mail my shoes to my bosses with a note saying, ‘Fill these,’” Castronovo said, acknowledging it’s an idea he took from shock-jock radio icon Joey Reynolds. “He actually did it.”
The eponymous trio behind “The KVJ Show” on West Palm Beach-based radio station 97.9-FM WRMF have a pact about Mega Millions, buying tickets as a team and promising to split the lump sum between themselves and two other staffers.
Virginia Sinicki likes their chances on Friday the 13th: “It’s a spooky, special day and … we’re a dark comedy show.”
Sinicki said she, Kevin Rolston and Jason Pennington also have agreed to show up at work after winning. They enjoy each other’s company and doing the show together, as they have for more than 20 years.
“But also just to gloat to the management team,” she said, laughing.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Instagram @BenCrandell and Twitter @BenCrandell.
