Fast-food CEOs buy lotto tickets for all 50K employees twice in one week

For the second time this week a U.S. fast-food chain is buying a lottery ticket for every single one of their 50,000 employees.

Raising Cane’s Co-CEOs AJ Kumaran and Todd Graves made headlines Monday for their US$100,000 spending spree that saw them buy a $2 ticket for each person they employ, in the hopes that one of the tickets would clinch the massive Mega Millions jackpot during the next night’s draw.

“Times are tough out there,” Kumaran told CNN. “(Employees are) seeing it at their gas stations and gas pumps, they’re seeing it on their grocery shelves … Things aren’t exactly easy these days, so when we saw there is a chance to not only have a little fun, but maybe win a little bit extra money for our people, we wanted to do it.”

However, Tuesday’s draw for the massive $830-million prize went without a winner, and the pair have announced they’re doing the huge ticket purchase all over again.

And the stakes are even higher this go-round – the Mega Millions jackpot is now expected to climb to more than $1 billion.

On Wednesday Kumaran told CNN’s New Day that he’s feeling extra lucky.

“Today is National Chicken Finger Day so today is our holiday,” he said, referencing the fact that much of his business relies on the company’s sales of chicken fingers.

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“So, we’re in celebration mode already!”

Kumaran revealed he had already put in the order for the tickets, saying it takes about eight hours for the lottery kiosk to print the 50,000 entries.

On the slim chance they do win, Kumaran said the money would be split equally amongst all employees.

The CEOs said in a statement, obtained by The Cincinnati Enquirer, that their expensive gamble is a way to have a bit of fun and let their employees know the company is looking out for them.

“As soon as we heard how big this jackpot prize is, we couldn’t miss out on the chance to win the Mega Millions jackpot and share it with our Crew who always stand together,” the statement read.

“None of what we do at Cane’s would be possible without our Crew, which is why we are always looking for ways to bring them a little extra fun.”

The next draw for the Mega Millions will take place on Friday night and will be an estimated $1.02 billion, lottery officials confirmed Wednesday.

The odds of winning the jackpot are infinitely small, however, sitting at about one in 302.5 million.

The Mega Millions record jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018; that prize remains the world’s largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.