We here at WFAE pride ourselves in having a ‘nose for news.’ Sometimes, that leads us to strange stories and even stranger questions.
Tom Bullock: "Have you smelled the new ticket?" Van Denton: "I sure have!"
Van Denton is the communications director for the North Carolina Educational Lottery. Today, they rolled out their latest scratch off game. Or shall I say scratch and sniff game. "It has sort of a smokey barbecue smell to it," says the would be scratch off sommelier. "It lasts about 6 to 8 seconds after someone scratches the ticket." Yes, he’s serious.
North Carolina is the latest state to see a scent themed lottery ticket says Denton. "About a year ago one of the lotteries came out with a bacon ticket." And other states have tickets with the smell of coffee, chocolate, even hot sauce which may cheer you or distract you depending on your luck.
North Carolina’s new scented ticket will be hard to miss – it’s the one with the silhouette of a big pig on the front. And the barbecue theme continues even if you don’t hit the jackpot the first time around. This ticket comes with a second chance option – where you go online for another chance to win. If your luck changes, Denton says, you could win a backyard smoker and "a hundred pounds of pork that they can buy overtime and cook on that new grill."
No word yet on a vegetarian lottery option.
