The check is in the mail—or at least that is the hope of Boulder Bay resident John Boucher who, a few weeks ago, won the multi-state Mega Lotto after purchasing a quick pick at Our Town Liquor in the Village. Boucher tells KBHR that, back in January, he started using his quarters to buy stamps and his nickels and dimes to play both the state and Mega lotto twice a week. “I didn’t check the ticket until the Thursday after,” he says, “and everyone in town already knew that the winning ticket had been bought. I didn’t believe it at first; I thought I’d only won like $214.” What Boucher, a drywaller, did win was $214,190. “I was one number away from winning $252 million,” he says. “An unbelievable amount! But I was also one number away from winning $139. I’m hoping to get the check today, because they said it normally takes two to three weeks.” Already, though, he has purchased a new Hummer H3 as, he says, he always joked that he’d buy a Hummer if he won the lottery; Boucher, who shares a home with his two dogs and two cats, tells KBHR that he also plans to pay off his house and his credit cards and be out of debt. Though already a winner, Boucher adds, “I’m still buying lottery tickets. It’s $145 million tonight—and you know the old lottery statement: you can’t win if you don’t play. If you think about it, four dollars a week on the lottery is a whole lot less than people spend in a week, or a day, at Starbucks.” The multi-state Mega Millions lotto is played on Tuesdays and Fridays and, to date, has a history making jackpot of $390 million, which was distributed in 2007.
