By By MaryClaire Foster
Just across the state line from Atmore are two of the Top 11 lottery retailers in the state.
O’Yes Lotto located on the right hand side of the road coming from Atmore on Hwy. 97 and State Line Gift Shop and Lotto on the left rank eighth and ninth respectively selling $965,697.50 and $871,491.50 in tickets from Jan. 1 through May 30.
Thomas Kroll, owner of O’Yes Lotto since 2000, attributes his high sales to the store’s proximity to Alabama.
Kroll said his sales are split evenly between the lottery tickets and scratch off tickets.
Kay Mints, an employee at State Line Gift Shop and Lotto, agreed that being so close to the state line is good for their sales, but said also it is their customer service and a little bit of good luck that keeps the patrons coming back.
Both stores sold large winning tickets last month. O’Yes had a customer win $20,000 off of a $30 scratch off ticket and State Line sold a $209,000 winning quick pick Fantasy 5 ticket.
Since last month’s win, Mints said there have been even more customers coming from all over.
State Line was also the seller of two winning Fantasy 5 in three days in December.
Mints said she does not know if they sell more winning tickets than other stores, but when asked whether she thought their store was lucky, she gave an affirmative, “Yes.”
Besides these two stores, their are three others in Escambia County in the Top 11 in the state. The other three stores are Key Shell on Perdido Key Drive, ranking fifth; Circle K on West 9 Mile Road ranking third and Bob’s Superette on Lillian Hwy. 11 ranking.