Colorado lottery gives free tickets

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado lottery celebrated the billion-dollar mega-millions jackpot by giving away free tickets.

Hundreds of people waited in line outside of King Soopers for hours on Tuesday, March 26, to get their chance at winning a billion dollars, until tickets ran out.

“I wake up this morning, be blessed to wake up. I feel lucky because I’m good to go,” said David Armstead.

Even though Saint Patrick’s Day passed, hundreds of people were feeling a little extra lucky on Tuesday. They lined up outside of King Soopers off Stetson Hills and waited eagerly for a chance to win a billion dollars.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mega Millions tickets up for grabs at Springs King Soopers

“I mean, people get a little passionate for how people are cutting the line, but everyone was super awesome, really excited, super supportive, and just happy to be getting a free ticket to potentially $1 billion,” said Meghan Dougherty Communications manager for Colorado Lottery.

While $1.1 billion is a lot to cash in, the winnings are closer to $537 million after taxes.

“Some people think we you have to give a bunch of that money away to the government. Well, I don’t know if I have $537 million, I’d probably be able to find something to spend it on,” said Dougherty.

How much is a billion dollars?

Well, the height of a stack of one million one-dollar bills measures around 358 feet, which is about the height of a thirty-five-story building. That’s twice the size of the Wells Fargo Tower in downtown Colorado Springs.

Now if you take a billion dollars in one-dollar bills that’s 358 thousand feet, or over 69 miles. That length can reach from the Earth’s surface into the lower portion of the Troposphere.

So what would you do if you won a billion dollars? Would you go on a trip? Or pay off loans? Or maybe even buy an airplane?

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