TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Mega Millions lottery drawing is a hot topic across the country right now, but also right here in the Wabash Valley.
At a Sunoco gas station in Terre Haute, the place was buzzing with anticipation as locals stopped by to try their luck.
News 10 talked to a math professor about the statistics of somebody actually winning the now $625 million.
Associate Math Professor John Mcsweeney, at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, says the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is slim.
"Somewhere in the order of one and 300 million so one way to think about that is if every single person in the country bought a ticket there would be only about one winner on average. If you want to go on a little experiment you could take a coin and the chance of winning the jackpot is the same as flipping the coin and it landing on heads 27 times in a row," said Mcsweeney.
But those odds weren't stopping one Terre Haute resident from purchasing a ticket.
"I play the lottery all the time, I'm pretty well known. There's always a chance you know. Can't win if you don't play," said Darrell Shouse.
He has modest plans on what to do with the money if he wins.
"Well if I'd win that much money I'd probably take care of a lot of family and friends. Some of the homeless in Terre Haute, try to do something good with the money," said Shouse.
The Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday night at 11:00.
