Tennessee Convenience Store Expects Little Impact Once Mississippi Lottery Is Up And Running

EASTVIEW, TENN. (WCBI) – Earlier this week, Mississippi lawmakers approved a bill that creates a lottery for the Magnolia State.  Currently,  most Mississippi residents who want to play a lottery travel to Tennessee.

Every few weeks, Kammellia Burks stops by “The Junction,”  a convenience store in Eastview Tennessee, to buy lottery tickets.

“I bought three of the thirty dollar Mighty Jumbo Bucks where you can win up to three million dollars,” Burks said.

Burks lives in Rienzi Mississippi and says the drive isn’t too bad, but she will be glad when she doesn’t have to go across state lines to play, and she’s not alone.

“It will change where I buy it, I will buy my tickets in Mississippi if it comes to Mississippi.,” said David Sanders, a Mississippi resident who buys his tickets in Tennessee.

“A group of guys, or whoever, they give me their money and as I come through I stop.  I might have a truck load of lottery tickets.  To have it come to Mississippi will be great,” said Laketrick Sanford, who lives in Batesville, Mississippi.

But workers at the Junction aren’t too worried about losing a lot of customers, once Mississippi’s lottery is up and running.  They know there’s plenty of people looking for a quick payday.

“You do have a lot of regulars here that play it all the time, and you have some who think if they hit it at that one store they can always come to that store and hit so they ‘ll be back and some go from store to store playing everyday,” said Clarissa McDougal, who works at “The Junction.”

Plus, McDougal knows Mississippi’s lottery won’t be in place for about a year.  Until then, those who want to try their luck will have to cross the state lines.

Up to 80 million dollars a year from lottery proceeds will go toward working on Mississippi  roads and bridges.