“Times are tough out there,” Raising Cane CEO AJ Kumaran told CNN. “(Workers) see it at their gas stations and at their gas pumps, they see it on their grocery store shelves … Things aren’t easy these days, so when we saw there’s an opportunity to not only have some fun, but maybe make a little extra money for our people, we wanted to do that.” Tuesday’s drawing has an estimated cash value of $470.1 million. If you win, it will be the third-largest Mega Millions jackpot prize in the game’s history, according to the lottery’s website. “Buying 50,000 tickets is harder than you think!” Graves wrote on Twitter. “We hope to share the winning jackpot with the 50,000 @RaisingCanes Crew.” If any of the 50,000 tickets produce a winner, Kumaran said the prize would be distributed to all workers, calling it a “collective ticket for all.” Feedback from employees has been nothing but excitement and anticipation for the draw, Kumaran said. Friday’s winning numbers were 14, 40, 60, 64, 66, plus the Mega Ball 16 gold. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.537 billion on Oct. 23, 2018, and was sold in South Carolina, according to the lottery’s website. Only four Mega Millions jackpots have been won to date in 2022 — in California, New York, Minnesota and Tennessee. If Tuesday’s drawing doesn’t produce a winner, Kumaran said the chain plans to play again. “If there is no winner, we will buy until there is a winner,” he said.
