Some New Yorkers are dreaming of a green Christmas.
The Mega Millions jackpot surged to $1 billion Christmas Eve — sparking hope that a lucky winner could get a last-minute, life-changing gift of cash when numbers are drawn Tuesday night.
The Mega Millions jackpot surged to $1 billion Christmas Eve as one lucky winner could receive a Christmas miracle when numbers are drawn Tuesday night. Daniella Heminghaus / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Salvatore Pinto, 35, bought $20 worth of Mega Millions. Dorian Geiger
Lev Yushuvayev, owner of Leo’s Barbershop in Queens bought a pair of tickets. Dorian GeigerThe staggering jackpot has been growing since a lucky Texas winner took home a mind-boggling $810 million prize in September.
A Queens deli worker, Patel, estimated he sold more than 100 tickets on Tuesday alone.
“It’s a lot — it’s very busy,” the 22-year-old, who is part-time at Forest Deli in Ridgewood, told The Post.
“They want to win a billion dollars, of course. They are saying, like, ‘I’m going to give it to the charity,’ and ‘give it to you,’ also. I’m excited also for my customers. If my customer wins, I’m happy.”
Lev Yushuvayev, who owns Leo’s Barbershop in the Queens neighborhood, bought a pair of tickets in between giving haircuts. If he were to win, he’d spread the wealth – about $250 million apiece – to his uncle and another worker at the shop.
“I’m excited,” the father of four said.
New Yorkers are excited about the Mega Millions. Dorian Geiger
The jackpot has grown since September when a lucky Texas winner won the $810 million prize. Jammy Jean – stock.adobe.com“Now I’m trying to get it for, not just for myself, for all the guys over here in the barbershop. I’ll probably invest most of it. I’ll spend it.
“I’ll give a quarter of each to one of my guys. We’re seeing the expenses, everything rising.”
Across the street, Salvatore Pinto, 35, who owns Joe and John’s Pizzeria, purchased $20 worth of Mega Millions.
New Yorker flashing lotto tickets he purchased. Dorian Geiger
Customer purchasing lotto tickets. Gabriella Bass“I’m super excited,” Pinto said as he donned a Santa hat. “That ‘B’ is making me run to the deli again!”
He would build a “pizza empire” if he was the lucky winner.
“I just want to take care of the family and myself,” said the married father who has a second child coming with a due date of New Year’s Eve.
“I think $1 billion would change a lot of people’s lives — even if like 100 people won it. And in this day and age, owning a business, too, watching food costs and everything skyrocket, especially this time of year.”
The jackpot would take the Texas ticket’s place as the seventh-largest Mega Millions lottery ever won.
The biggest prize stands at $1.602 billion, won in Florida in 2023.
The chances of taking home the $1 billion sum stands at one in 302,575,350.
Two lucky New Yorkers already took home lofty prizes ahead of Tuesday night’s big drawing — a $33,573 Take Five was claimed in Longwood, Bronx and a $50,000 third prize ticket was sold in Woodside, Queens.
