Police relieved in Greenwich

GREENWICH, Connecticut (CNN) -- State lottery officials said Thursday they would suspend Powerball ticket sales here and in four outlying communities for one day on Friday, acquiescing to police concerns that large crowds from neighboring New York were endangering public safety.

The suspension affects 25 businesses in Greenwich that sell Powerball tickets, as well as lottery retailers in the towns of Cos Cob, Byram, Riverside and Old Greenwich.

VIDEO CNN's Skip Loescher experiences Powerball fever with ticket buyers (August 22) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   RESOURCES • In Focus: Financial planner: If you win Powerball   • CNN Access: Powerball expert: 'I'd rather play blackjack'     Powerball odds: If you buy 50 tickets a week, the odds are that you would win once every 30,000 years. If every Canadian's name were in a hat, you would be 2 1/2 times more likely to pick a particular name than to win the lottery. Biggest-ever jackpots: $363 million: 2 tickets on May 9, 2000; Big Game $295.7 million: 1 ticket on July 29, 1998; Powerball $197 million: 1 ticket on April 6, 1999; Big Game $194.5 million: 1 ticket on May 20, 1998; Powerball $151 million: 1 ticket on June 30, 1999; Powerball $150.2 million: 3 tickets on March 4, 2000; Powerball $130.6 million: 1 ticket on Nov. 29, 2000; Powerball $130 million: 2 tickets on Nov. 4, 2000; Millennium Millions

The suspension, which will extend through 7 a.m. Saturday, was not unprecedented in Greenwich, where ticket sales were halted for a Powerball drawing worth nearly $300 million in July 1998. This Saturday's jackpot is now estimated to be $280 million.

Greenwich Police Chief Peter Robbins said the request was made "basically to give us a little relief."

"We've had a lot of police overtime expenditures. Officers are working double shifts. The fatigue factor builds up. We've been doing this since Monday morning. It creates a burden on our regular operations."

Robbins said the department has spent $20,000 so far on overtime for officers.

"We fully intend to send the Connecticut Lottery Commission a bill for our overtime expenditures," he said.

"It became a public safety issue," said acting First Selectman Peter Crumbine, who made the request to lottery officials. "Downtown was filling up with cars and people to the point where we couldn't move emergency vehicles around."

Crumbine originally requested a two-day suspension ahead of Saturday night's drawing but was forced to choose just one day by the commission.

"We felt Friday was the better day, since the last time the jackpot was large, sales were higher the day before the drawing than on the day of the drawing," he said.

Lottery hopefuls shooting for the $193.5 million jackpot on the day of the drawing Wednesday waited for as long as three hours in Greenwich, with some lines containing 500 to 600 people.

Robbins said up to six officers are patrolling each site to prevent disorderly conduct and robbery, but so far there have been no arrests. The chief said he will ask for state police help controlling the crowds when tickets go on sale again on Saturday.

With many New Yorkers willingly travelling dozens of miles to buy tickets, the large crowds have upset local residents.

"We can't come in to buy a pack of Life Savers because there are no parking spaces. It's disturbing to the town," said Susan Harris. "I've lived here 12 years and it's really hard. And every time the jackpot gets big the crowds come out."