Lotto Prize Approaches Record

Californians are caught in an epidemic of Lotto Fever, snatching up tickets in hopes of winning a weekend jackpot expected to reach $120 million. The third-highest jackpot in state history has been growing for a month. A winner could receive the money over 26 years or opt to receive a lump sum, about half of the jackpot sum minus taxes. A California Lottery spokeswoman says although the odds of winning are 40-million to one, ticket sales for Saturday night´s game are “above average.” Lotto fever hit the state in February when the prize went to $193 million, the largest single-state jackpot in U-S history. Three tickets, purchased in Montebello, Orange and Half Moon Bay, split the winnings.