Cumberland Farms Delves Into Lottery Ticket Buying Habits

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Despite common perception, most lottery players are not so superstitious, according to a recent survey conducted by Cumberland Farms. Sixty-four percent of respondents say they rarely play the same numbers more than once if they don't win, and more than 50 percent say they pay no attention to a store's previous history of winners when deciding where to buy lottery tickets.

"With the lottery being such a popular pastime for Americans and for our customers, we thought it would be fun to see how people play, and how superstitious people really are when it comes to choosing their numbers and where they purchase their tickets," said David Heilbronner, senior manager of brand strategy for Cumberland Farms. "All of Cumberland Farms' nearly 600 retail locations offer a variety of lottery tickets, and we hope one of our customers is among the lucky winners this time around."

Key findings of the "Lucky Lottery" survey include:

• 64 percent of respondents "rarely" use the same numbers when playing the lottery and choose something new if they didn't win the last time.
• 59 percent say a store's previous history of lottery winners does not influence whether they purchase lottery tickets from that location.
• Of those who do not choose quick picks, 38 percent choose their numbers based on significant birthdays, while 11 percent use their wedding date or other important anniversaries.
• If they won the jackpot, 46 percent would call their significant other first, while 10 percent would call their lawyer first.
• The Internet is the go-to source for checking the winning numbers, with 74 percent saying they look to see if they won online or via Facebook and Twitter.

When it comes to buying scratch tickets, 33 percent of respondents select tickets based on the theme, such as sports, games or holidays. Of those who give scratch tickets as gifts for birthdays or holidays, 82 percent of respondents say they do not expect a cut of any winnings — a gift is a gift.

Framingham-based Cumberland Farms is a family-owned and -operated retail chain with more than 600 convenience stores in the Northeast and Florida.