Are you feeling lucky today? It might be because July 17th is National Lottery Day! Today, we celebrate the short drive to the Florida line for a chance to win million, and some times billions of dollars from a game of chance. While we are lucky enough to have the option of playing the lottery at the Flora-Bama line, the State of Alabama still does not allow lotteries within it's border.

In the United States, early lotteries paid for cannons during the American Revolution. Lottery money also paved roads up and down the East Coast. Today, states own and operate the lotteries. The funds they gather support government programs and the communities they serve.

The odds of winning billions are remote -- 1 in 292 million for the Powerball jackpot.

When you break down lottery spending per state, Massachusetts residents spent $970 per capita in 2021 on lottery tickets, more than double any other state. North Dakota residents spent the least amount per capita that year among states that have a lottery, just $37. That earned a prize payout of $64.3 billion in 2021.

Today the Mega Millions Lottery is at $251 Million and the drawing is this Friday. So we can take a quick trip to the Flora-Bama and purchase tickets for the Florida Lottery. If you don't win you can at least get the satisfaction of having a cold bushwacker during your visit!