Seth Elkin and Nestor discuss the neighborhoods and taverns and local stores that have powered The Maryland Lottery for 50 years.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
lottery, week, ticket, costas, pittsburgh, places, sell, crab, years, lottery tickets, maryland, buy, jackpot, opening, cost, celebrating, homerun, retailers, play, neighborhood
SPEAKERS
Seth Elkin, Nestor Aparicio
Nestor Aparicio 00:01
Welcome back wn S T Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive still broadcasting on AM 1570 hoping folks are setting the dial. We are sort of resetting 25 years here. It’s our 25th anniversary on August the third I am putting together an amazing crabcake tour for the fall with oysters and beer. As Jimmy Buffett was saying, Give me oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year and I’ll be fine. I’ll be just fine. It is all brought to you by the Maryland lottery doing the Maryland crab cake tour next week. I’m wearing my costume shirt. They gave me a white one. I have my old gold when I’m gonna retire this one at some point. Although they are a nice fit. We’re going to be in Dundalk kicking off the spring version of the Maryland crab cakes where and we’re going to be hot and furious next week. We’re Costas on Wednesday, a two to five we’re going to be families at the old Lexington market on Friday. That’s the day after opening day. The day that Bruce Springsteen is in town with the E Street Band and the Eagles are in town on Saturday open their CFG Bank Arena. All of that brought to you by the Maryland lottery I’m gonna be giving these away at fate Lee’s as well as a Costas. We’re going to be captain Larry’s later in the month on the 27th of April. Our friends from Rascon global letter Raskin brings the crab mallets I think he’s coming over cost this next week as well. And our friends at window nation 866 90 nation you buy to you get to free. It’s been one of the great things I’ve done especially now that the bugs are spawning out you’re this guy is been sitting in for John Martin last few weeks. He is going to be with us next week as well. I think I may have asked him if he’s ever been to Costa San or drug city or ever been to Dundalk or ever over the bridge. One thing I’ve learned and this is very he’s a Pittsburgh guy so like don’t I wear the black and gold for you? Seth Alcon okay, you happy?
Seth Elkin 01:45
I’m very happy. In fact, I was going to ask where I can get myself one of those T shirts. It’s my colors. So that’s good.
Nestor Aparicio 01:50
You can get it at the bar cost this I’m gonna get one. You know what they’re literally right next to the Maryland lottery dispensary machine. And they have the god machine there. They have the one that’s like the big Viking refrigerator. It’s gigantic. You know, as opposed to little guys because I’ve seen the little wants to how are you? You’re the director something there I don’t you’re sort of acting this and doing that but you’re going to be coming to cost this next week with me. Are you a crab eater being a Pittsburgh guy me? Let’s let’s get serious about this.
Seth Elkin 02:19
Well, you know, I’m partial to sandwiches the french fries on him, which is what we do. Is your hands dirty and parochial. That’s what we do in Pittsburgh. Forks do a good crab cake. You can’t be a good crab cakes. Crabs.
Nestor Aparicio 02:33
Do you eat crabs?
Seth Elkin 02:34
I actually am not a big crab eater. But the crab cake that’s a whole different story crab cakes a different story. So I will be on I’m gonna be on on the clock while I’m over there. So I don’t know if I’m gonna be caught wolfing down at crabcake while I’m working, but I’m gonna try and get one while I’m
Nestor Aparicio 02:51
there. I know your boss. I’m gonna make this part of the routine. I’m gonna make you sit in and because that’s what the crabcake tour is all about. Seth Elkins is with us this week. So first things first. We have huge jackpots. My wife’s excited about this. I pulled into the ROFO I got chicken for lunch at Royal farms on Tuesday. And literally I when I see three digits and three digits, I know I smell jackpot thief.
Seth Elkin 03:15
You know, we’re starting to we’re starting to climb up there little by little, you know, you don’t notice it. And then all of a sudden megamillions is $355 million for Friday night, and the Powerball jackpot is $132 million. So we’re in triple digits for for both of them. And that’s where it starts.
Nestor Aparicio 03:31
Right between where Lamar Jackson is and where Eric
Seth Elkin 03:36
maybe he should buy a Mega Millions ticket. Maybe that’s the answer to Baltimore’s problem right now. Oh, it’s a Mega Millions ticket and everything is solved. You know, difference there.
Nestor Aparicio 03:45
You guys are celebrating and we’re celebrating together. And you know, it goes without saying I’ve known Roz a long, long, long time for Reisterstown Road. I’ve known John a long time and that he’s been here and he spent his formative days in Ohio. You’re from Pennsylvania. Carol came in across the border, you know as well. So I mean, I’ve known all of you for so long, but this 50th anniversary thing. This is really where it’s kicking off a little bit. And we’re kicking off the crabcake toRCA junction with you and I’m going places I mean, I got Pappas up in Harford County. They just opened I’m trying to get the right date up there. We may wind up in Parkville or cockys relief and Glen Burnie for Glen Burnie be great too because I’ve been down there and a while but part of this is going neighbor the neighbor to doing all of this and for 50 years of the lottery and you guys have these gold tickets you got a $5 million winner last week off a scratch off never been done in the history of the state. But you’re taking this little tour out with John who’s the significant guy and runs the place and all of you and all of these really cool old branding you put up the old Maryland lottery logo last week I see you got the red L behind you but there’s the blue L and the Lekki you get the legacy ticket show everybody those legacy tickets.
Seth Elkin 04:53
The $1 Maryland lottery will go ticket and I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels this way about this. These are there are four different designs If this ticket with the old historic logos, and I’ll tell you after we talked last week, there were probably three or four of my co workers who I saw posted the art of this ticket on their social media feeds. Everybody just loves the retro feel of this
Nestor Aparicio 05:15
than this one. So it cost me $4 to get one we’re gonna hook you up next week. Why don’t we get his go to cost this and I are drugs city or any of our places that obviously engaged with the Maryland lottery sell more lottery tickets and and it’s, it’s ubiquitous, bro. Like, I mean, I like for 30 years on the radio here with Buddy used to come into the studio when they would have a 1 million or 5 million or sometimes 100 million, because I’ve been on the air 31 years to I mean, I’ve been here for 60% plus of this, you know of the time of all of this, but for you guys to go around the places that have been with you for 50 years. I mean, that’s, you’re not 50 years old. I don’t think I plus 151. Yep, you’re doing pretty well. You don’t look 51 Do the hair loss, you
Seth Elkin 06:03
know? No, I
Nestor Aparicio 06:04
can’t You’re 51 I thought you were like in your 30s. I swear to God, I did. Well, I appreciate I really did. But so I’m I’m 54. And I do remember, I literally remember these in the late 70s When they came and I’ve kidded John about how the gray stuff would always get like mad at all, you know, when you scratch that off, and you’re really afraid that if you use the dime versus a nickel or a penny on the edging, as to how you wouldn’t scratch it, right. And I’ll just say this cost, this is a play 71 It says here, I don’t really remember life without cost. It’s because my my my dad, my pop worked at the point. And like my pop went by Pop’s diner, which is on the other corner pops tavern, excuse me, which is the other side. And Costas has been there forever. But it for a business to be here 50 years later, and still selling lottery tickets. That’s something you really want to that’s what you’re about as the lottery right.
Seth Elkin 06:57
And that’s, I think, a big part of what of our planning for these kinds of events. We’re going to be at a number of places over the next few months, but cost us next week is the first one of them, where we’re going to recognize our legacy retailers and kind of celebrate with them. And it’s a really important partnership. And you know, when you stop and think about the numbers, that the lottery is generated, and we toss these numbers around so much, maybe sometimes we don’t stop and think about what they mean, the lottery has contributed more than $18.6 billion to the state over the course of its five decades, has paid more than 31 and a half million dollars in prizes to players. And to get to the retailer part of this we’ve paid almost $3 billion in retailer commissions over the course of 50 years say that again.
Nestor Aparicio 07:40
That’s what the be $3 billion shot he’s gonna get more than that for the Ravens. I’m just like so so Daniel Snyder this week, but I just want to, like put into perspective how much money that is. So $3 billion over these 50 years have gone to the neighbor, they sell a ticket, they get five cents for selling the ticket, they sell a winning ticket, they get a prize right there with you for 50 years. It is I want to make this clear, it is a part of the way the cost this family has paid its employees and gathered money in the same way. They have a whiskey line. They sold crabs and crab cakes and carry out and like all of that. And that’s just my my family costs this. I mean, they cost this has been with me for 20 years. I mean all of this century for sure. Costas has been a sponsor of mine. I have businesses I’m 31 years into this, Tony talk Derman at documents, tackle and Fells Point, one of my original sponsors, he’s still there. But there are three or four businesses that were my original, giving me $75 A week letting me DJ on weekends in 1991 and 92. And I know it means the world to me that those people in those businesses are still there. And I would think that Mr. Costas, when I go and see him first time, he’s gonna offer me free beer. He’s that guy. And I always say no beer, I’m driving, you know what I mean? I’m driving, but he’s always trying to give me beer. And I’m gonna ask him and he’s very, he’s, he’s got stage fright. I don’t know that I’m gonna get him on the show, but I’m gonna beg him to come on. I really want to ask him the first time somebody came into his place, and said, We’re going to sell lottery tickets in here. And we want you to put this computer or box or I don’t even know how it was done in 1973, which is going to be part of the fun for me is learning these original distributors. You know, a guy like you were pretty girl probably wasn’t a pretty girl 1972 Quite frankly, knocking on the door as a salesperson saying, we have this paperwork for you to sign to be in on this legal and I’ll say it out loud numbers racket, right? I mean, in 1971, right. Like, and this thing became in the same way that we talked about prohibition or cannabis or now sports wagering where I can bet on the final for this weekend responsibly, as we remind everybody in March or on opening day on baseball, anything like the world It’ll change so much. But I can’t imagine in 1973 You’re selling probably not even crabs or crab cakes. And I’d have to ask them what they think they were a breakfast diners in, like in 19. You know, they, they were that kind of they were two years old, right? I want to learn about where a business meets the lottery and 50 years later still here
Seth Elkin 10:20
that, you know, it’s something that I’ve stopped and thought about as we’ve celebrated this anniversary this year, you know, there is a very large amount of work that goes in and a lot of moving parts to run in the lottery, you know, when you come in from the outside, and you’ve never been here before. You kind of think it’s simple. Okay, we print the tickets, we sell the tickets, we make the money, how hard can this really be right? But there are so many moving parts to a lottery operation and stop and think about exactly what you’re saying, Go back 50 years, to the opening of the lottery office in January of 1973. You’ve got to get a network of retailers across the state setup. And I believe the number that I’ve seen is that the lottery launched in the spring of 1973, with 3800 locations across the state where you could buy tickets. So think about the logistics that were involved. Using 1970s technology. You want it
Nestor Aparicio 11:12
to be in every neighborhood and in our neighborhood and I’ve told this and and this family I want to give them a shout out because they’re near dear to my heart Jerry’s in Eno Larry’s Nina the Zunino family that I grew up with Sandy I grew up with. They had a little corner store in my neighborhood. They sold they had a sub shop. Mr. Frank cut the meat that it was the place where I went as a little bit as the first place I left my parents to go across the street and buy candy bar for a nickel right buy soda, buy a fancy drinks by red red cream soda. You know all of that as a little boy makes me smile. Because like I remember my friends walking up there. They sold lottery tickets, and I’m five years old and 1973. And so I’m gonna go find Larry’s and Ino and find his family find one of the patriarchs there and find out because they were the neighbor. There were two places to get numbers in my neighborhood. There was the East Pointe liquor store in the mall. You had to cross the the avenue to get there but in the neighborhood was only one place you could get tickets. I mean, there’s no internet, there’s no nothing right? So somebody from your office came in there and they were thrilled to be selling the tickets. Because Miss Ed two doors down Miss Louise, they played, they played the lottery all the time, they would send the kids up to get tickets. And of course, they would never let us do that back in the 70s. Because we weren’t of age. And there’s an Eno family were the purveyors of they had beer, you know, like all of that they were the neighborhood sandwich shop. And this is what my neighborhood was in 1973 with a lottery and they sold tickets. And I’m just fascinated as to how you start something like that. Right? Like literally at that point in life. We had telephones is all we had, I think
Seth Elkin 12:55
it’s sort of an amazing story to think about how to get that off the ground and how to get it launched and 50 years later, you’re talking about, again, $3 billion in commissions that we’ve paid retailers every time you buy a ticket, every time you catch a ticket in a store,
Nestor Aparicio 13:08
think about this anino family at that time, they’re like we’re gonna make $200 extra a month from selling lottery tickets.
Seth Elkin 13:15
Revenue, it’s a heck of a lot more than that. Now, the average retailer commissioned last year was $47,000. So it’s it’s really grown to a tremendous business for our retailers.
Nestor Aparicio 13:27
I’ve ever said this in two years. Like it’s it’s, I learned things i like i like to promote the fact that that it’s business and that the money goes to good causes and helps schools mean it funds things. The Lottery Funds, lots of things as a sports wagering now that it’s the numbers are legal. And we could do I’m going to be sitting in Hollywood casino for opening day on Thursday. Looking forward to sitting at Barstool Sports and watching the O’s you guys have I’ll give you a chance to do homework. But I just when I learned on the show is when I love it and I had never really thought so much about the local stores and what it’s meant how much money Costas in and has helped from has made from selling lottery tickets that’s helped feed their family and put their kids through school and keep their business running. I think that needs to be said it’s one
Seth Elkin 14:11
of the things we’re proud of is that it is supporting local businesses across the state. You know, there are all kinds of stores and retailers that sell tickets, and many of them are locally owned Mom and Pop places like Costas and we’re really happy that we have that relationship with them for that long.
Nestor Aparicio 14:26
Alright, so a lot of tickets we got Froggers right? We got obviously the old schoolers, we’re doing all of that. But but it’s baseball. All right, I want to give you a little oxygen here with the Orioles because we’re all familiar with this, but people really win and I know this. I’ve been on the air for 31 years right so I’ve been getting email for 25 years ago. And in the early days the only way I would know people is they would send me email nasty wn St. dotnet and before there was a wn St. dotnet I was nasty PC bank net was nasty ball Baltimore dotnet at one point, I had different emails. And I would see names pop up, and damn if Scott Garceau or you know, John Miller or Fred man from or Michael red guy would do a lottery reading and there’d be a name up. And I’d see Joseph Elliott of Dundalk. And I’m like, wow, I know him, you know, so that that’s part of it for me. Now, sometimes there are people from Hagerstown or Lord knows Cumberland. And I don’t know or couldn’t know. But there have been so many fans of mine, or baseball fans who play the game. And I see their name up and I’m like, hey, they’re played for show for Glenburnie. I know that guy that was on my road trip.
Seth Elkin 15:40
And we just had the first drawing actually for the homerun riches contest into the game promotion. So the first month’s worth of winners are now posted on our website. So as you say, every day you can go and look and see who the Orioles are playing for that day and every homerun the Orioles hit is going to be worth $500 to that person who’s the contestant of the game. Plus, they went $500 just for being drawn. And then of course, there’s that 50th homerun, which is going to be worth $50,000 to whoever the contestant of the game is in that game. And that’s something we’re having a lot of fun with. $50,000 for our 50th anniversary on the 50th home run, you catch the drift there. So well
Nestor Aparicio 16:18
yeah, dude, I’m down. I’m just laughing because my wife loves to play lottery, you know this, but she really she’s a jackpot player. I mean, she really is. I mean, even with all the scratch offs we give away and whatnot. She it’s just not That’s not her jam or jam to the jackpot. But I keep thinking to myself how much fun it would be, I’d say to her, instead of 20 on the jackpot. Just get into the Oriole thing. You know, I want you in that because on July 19, I will be playing for what then to have to say her name on the broadcast and have her be a winner. So if there’s one thing that I want my wife in on, it’s having somebody hit a home run to make her Tell her buddy how to play again. So how would my wife play when she got to deserve it a beat cost us a real farms where she buys her tickets at Royal farms. She really does.
Seth Elkin 17:03
Yep, so it’s the home run riches progressive jackpot fast play game as soon as your fast play tickets that you can buy at any terminal or out of any vending machine. It’s a fast play game, so you can win instantly on the ticket. Whether you win or not, you can enter your home run Rich’s fast play ticket to for a chance to be a contestant of the game. And we draw one contestant of the game for each Orioles regular season game. And as I said, we’ve already got the first month’s worth of games drawn. But there are monthly drawings to select the rest of the winners throughout the season, any ticket that you enter stays in the pool for the rest of the promotion. So you have a chance on any ticket that you enter. And we’ll be drawing those winners as we go along in the season. And we’re waiting on that 50th homerun, which I believe was June 4 of last year was when the Orioles hit number 50. So we’re going to be paying a lot of attention in late May, early June to see when that 50th homerun hits and and who that contestant is for that game that’s going to be fun for us. Well, my
Nestor Aparicio 17:58
wife has all the tools on her app to make this happen. So her birthday is May 31. So you said June 4. So you know somewhere in there and they’re gonna hit more home runs this year. I’m convinced to that right. Let’s hope so. Yeah. The fence back last year, which you know, we’ll see how that plays out in year two. Last thing for you. I’ve communicated with the leader of your your tribe up there in Pittsburgh this week because it was the owners meetings. So Mike Tomlin and I exchanged our usual pleasantries are not at the pool at the Biltmore, but via satellite and tech. So I just want you to know, I’ve been in communication with your people up there. Prior to the draft, we’re still in the same division. It’s still I don’t know if you’ve heard because you live here in Baltimore set. It gets a quarterback issue. So are you aware of this?
Seth Elkin 18:42
Yeah, minors minor issue. I’ve heard a little bit about it. Yeah. What do you do anything special? You know? No, I’m
Nestor Aparicio 18:48
gonna tell you what I tell everyone else at these cocktail parties and the networking where I go when they come up to me, wherever I am, Costas next week. I was at squires in Dundalk. Last week, he asked me, What do you think get a little more thing? And I’ll say, Do you want a 32nd SOUNDBITE or do you? It’s so complicated. And it’s so interesting. And it’s not me taking phone calls, like over the competitors wherever. Like, I’m talking to Lee Steinberg, hear about it, right. Like I’m talking to Peter King about it here. Right. So in the last couple of weeks, I have really tried to talk to everybody and everyone has something interesting to say something different to say regarding union collusion. Race, I mean, it’s it’s been it’s been all sorts of It’s an intriguing story. I mean, the franchise the the non exclusive franchise other owners, trade, money, Cap, cap, ologists draft all of its included in all of this. And because of that I’m not tired of talking about it, but I want an outcome because I want to beat the Steelers. I want to beat Joe burrow. You know
Seth Elkin 19:56
we’ve got our own quarterback issues in Pittsburgh. We got to make Are we got the right guy? I think we do but you know that’s the interesting thing is in Pittsburgh I don’t think anybody’s worried about what’s happening with Lamar Jackson we’re worried about our own team.
Nestor Aparicio 20:08
Listen last thing I’m gonna say to you because I don’t know when you’re going to be on the show next week is I’m going to slide you to get a crap kick don’t tell John but my son and his wife I want to say college last week to see Springsteen so I was up with the ins and not a you know, I you know, I got some ice cream and did the peachy Paterno did all that my son that weekend went to see John Mayer and Pittsburgh, man my daughter Lonnie fell in love with Pittsburgh, so like, don’t tell anybody, but Pittsburgh is nice. It’s okay. I don’t want to but I you know, I want them to welcome you back next year. I got it so bad that I gotta be nice to Pittsburgh people. Seth, I appreciate you crabcakes I’m gonna teach you how to eat a crab the proper way. Once I teach you the right way.
Seth Elkin 20:46
I’m looking forward to it.
Nestor Aparicio 20:47
Get your hands dirty. All right, just open your mind. I bring me up Primanti I’ll open my mind to that and you can open your mind to we go and payroll because we haven’t come because my wife eats and for Christmas. I am Nestor. He says Elka from the Maryland lottery. We’ll be gathering next week celebrating really the Maryland crab cake tour kicking off the 50th anniversary. We have scratch offs to get away from the Maryland lottery our friends and window nation will be there. i There’s a rumor that the Dundalk high Hall of Fame. Pooh Bahs will all be a Costas next week. That’s on Wednesday, Friday. We’re going to be a fade Lee’s at Lexington market celebrating the opening of a beautiful new arena that I’ve waited my lifetime. The bosses in town, the great great Mills Lofgren is going to be in town next week. Don Henley is going to be in town next week. Opening day the Yankees are going to be in town next week. Big week around here I am Nestor. We are wn St. am 1570, Towson Baltimore. We never stop talking Baltimore positive
