In Tough Times, Lottery Offers Hope
Aliquippa, Pa., Nov. 12, 2008— -- It's another Saturday morning in Pennsylvania, and Rick and Sheyda Belli dream of getting rich quick.
Like many families suffering in this soft economy, the Bellis spend money on lottery games.
"I look at it as a shot, a chance, a ray of hope," said Sheyda Belli, 38. "People say you're wasting your money, could put it in a savings account, but, you know, somebody wins every day."
Every Saturday morning they head off looking for that pot of lottery gold, driving past the doughnut shop they used to visit.
"That was about $40 a week. Just trying to cut back everywhere that we can really, but still not giving up playing my lottery," Sheyda said, laughing.
The drive to the Beaver Valley Mall is a family ritual in which their kids, 2-year-old Cheyenne, 4-year-old Alexander, and 6-year-old Amber, ride the tiny train for $2 a ticket.
With what's left in Rick's wallet, mom and dad head for the kiosk that peddles powerful fantasies: the chance at $640,000 in the Cash 5 jackpot and the $52 million Powerball prize.
Sheyda plays both games and also buys a scratch-off ticket, for total winnings of $24. The scratch-off cards provide the satisfaction of an instant answer, but nothing else.
The odds against those winning big-money games are astronomical.
Cash 5 players have a one in 962,958 chance of winning the top prize, and the Powerball odds are even worse (one out of more than 146 million).
The Bellis justify their bet with a historical fact: Ten years ago, at this very kiosk, another couple won big.
"For me, it solidifies that you can win," Sheyda said. "It builds up my hopes a little more."
Such hopes, despite the staggering odds, send the Belli family on a 30-mile drive west to Ohio, to a gas station right across the state line where they play Mega-Millions, a multistate game. The odds are even worse than for Powerball.
The Mega-Millions jackpot is $16 million, but the odds of winning are one in 175 million. These are daunting numbers, but as Sheyda said, "Ohio wins a lot."
