FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- As the Powerball jackpot rolls over and soars beyond $500 million and consumers rush to purchase tickets for their chance to win big, convenience-store retailer Cumberland Farms has announced the results of a recent survey on lottery ticket-buying habits among consumers.
The survey found that lottery players are actually not so superstitious, with 64% of respondents saying they rarely play the same numbers more than once if they don’t win, and more than half of respondents saying they pay no attention to a store’s previous history of winners when deciding where to purchase tickets.
So, while some may believe in rituals and superstitions it turns out people are not heading to their local convenience stores with a rabbit’s foot in hand to play the same lucky numbers.
“With the lottery being such a popular pastime for Americans and for our customers, we thought it would be fun to see how people play, and how superstitious people really are when it comes to choosing their numbers, and where they purchase their tickets,” said David Heilbronner, senior manager of brand strategy of Cumberland Farms. “All of Cumberland Farms’ nearly 600 retail locations offer a variety of lottery tickets, and we hope one of our customers is among the lucky winners this time around.”
Cumberland Farms’ Lucky Lottery survey revealed the following:
- 64% of respondents said they “rarely” use the same numbers when playing the lottery. If it didn’t work the last time around, it’s time to try something new.
- 59% of respondents said that a store’s previous history of lottery winners does not influence whether they purchase tickets from that location. It’s all a gamble anyway.
- Of those who don’t opt for quick picks, 38% of respondents choose their numbers based off of significant birthdays, while 11% use their wedding date or other important anniversaries when picking their numbers.
- When it comes to hitting the jackpot, 46% of respondents would call their significant other first, while 10% confessed their first call would be their lawyer.
- The web is the go-to source for checking winning numbers, with 74% of respondents saying they check to see if they won either online or via Facebook and Twitter.
When it comes to purchasing scratch tickets, 33% of respondents select their tickets based on the theme (sports, crosswords or games, holidays, etc.). And, for those who gift scratch tickets for birthdays or holidays, they’re quite generous--82% of respondents said they do not expect a cut of the winnings; a gift is a gift.
Framingham, Mass.-based Cumberland Farms operates nearly 600 convenience stores across eight states in the Northeast and Florida.
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