If there was ever evidence that hope is an innate part of the human condition, it is the grocery store lottery line. Sure, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 146,107,962, but somebody has to be that one person, right? So each day around the state, the eternally hopeful take their places in the cue at lottery counters all around the state with numbers and dollar bills in hand, waiting for the day that will be their day.
On the other side of one counter is Tom Jarosh, store manager at the McMurray Dairy Bar and Market on East McMurray Road. Jarosh is one of several people who tends to the lottery counter during the day. He talked with us recently about being on the other side of lottery hopes.

Who plays the Pennsylvania lottery more, men or women?
TJ: I’d say it’s a pretty even mix of the two.

Do you see more young people or older people?
TJ: On typical days it’s a slightly older crowd at the lottery window, those are the regulars who stop in every day. But when the Powerball jackpot starts to get high, say over $200 million, then it seems like everybody comes in to play.

Are any of the people who work the lottery window considered lucky by the regulars?
TJ: Not that I know of, but some people get leery about buying a ticket from a new kid. Not because of superstition, but because they’re afraid a new clerk won’t know what he’s doing. But the new people are all trained before they start waiting on customers. The regulars are great though, you get to know them by name, and you even know the numbers they play before they even say them.

What’s the most annoying part of working the lottery window?
TJ: It’s when people come in just a few minutes before 7 p.m. and want to play 20 or 30 numbers in that night’s drawing.

Have you ever sold a big winner?
TJ: The biggest one I personally sold was $1,000.

It’s customary to tip a casino dealer who provides a winning hand. Does that hold true at the lottery window?
TJ: Every once in a while somebody who wins will tip a few dollars.

Do people prefer the televised drawings or the instant tickets?
TJ: It’s pretty much a mix of both. It seems like everybody buys tickets for the drawings, but they’ll usually pick up an instant ticket while they’re there.

So do you play the lottery?
TJ: Every once in a while.

When is that?
TJ: When the Powerball jackpot gets big [laughs].

What would you do if you won?
TJ: I’d pay off my house, pay off my cars, help my brothers and sisters pay for college, and probably wouldn’t work any more. But I definitely wouldn’t spend it all at once like you see some people do. •