Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 20, 1991 TAG: 9104200255
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Landmark News Service
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For the eighth day in a row, heavy betting on the 8-8-8 sequence forced the lottery on Friday to limit betting on the combination.
Wagering on the sequence was cut off at 4:22 p.m, almost four hours before the nightly numbers drawing. By that time, $20,000 in $1 bets had been placed on 8-8-8. Had it come up, the lottery would have been forced to shell out $500 per ticket to the winners.
"We don't want to pay out more than the commonwealth can afford," said lottery spokeswoman Paula Otto. Betting on any sequence is prohibited when the potential payoff hits $10 million. Friday night's winning numbers were 2-0-4.
Lottery officials see no special significance, occult or otherwise, to the triple-8 combination. Eights have been coming up frequently in the nightly numbers drawings, Otto said, and word on the street among gamblers has it that 8 is a hot number.
Betting on the 8-8-8 sequence took off on April 11, the first night the agency had to halt wagering on the combination. Since then, each Pick 3 drawing has featured a triple-8 sellout. Drawings are held Monday through Saturday.
Adding to the allure is the fact that the 8-8-8 sequence has never been drawn during Pick 3's two-year history, Otto said. Many gamblers apparently think the combination's time has come.
Betting always is heavy on "triples," and the lottery pays out the most when they come up. Last Aug. 11, the agency paid out $3.4 million on 3-3-3. And 2-2-2 has come up twice this year; in one case, the payoff reached $2.27 million.
The red-hot interest in 8 has also boosted Pick 3 sales. Daily wagers have regularly topped $800,000 this week, higher than usual, Otto said.
Even lottery officials, who downplay superstition's role in selecting winning numbers, thought it a bit odd when they realized that Friday's sellout was the eighth in a row for triple-8.
One even started humming the theme from "The Twilight Zone."
by CNB