raising canes
raising canes

The CEO of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, a Louisiana-based fast-food restaurant chain, is making a big bet on the lottery. On Monday, Todd Graves announced he purchased 50,000 Mega Millions tickets that he will share with his employees.

The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $810 million. Each ticket costs $2.

Graves, who is the founder of the chain, spent $100,000 on his 50,000 employees. If he wins, the prize will be distributed among all employees.

"Buying 50,000 lottery tickets is harder than you think! Hoping to share the winning jackpot with our 50,000 @RaisingCanes Crew,” Graves posted on Twitter.

Raising Cane's co-CEO AJ Kumaran confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that the prize will be a "collective ticket for everybody."

Graves explained in a press release that he bought the tickets for his crew due to their hard work and how he believes the business could not run without them.

“As soon as we heard how big this jackpot prize is, we couldn’t miss out on the chance to win the Mega Millions jackpot and share it with our crew who always stand together,” Graves said in a statement.

“None of what we do at Cane’s would be possible without our crew, which is why we are always looking for ways to bring them a little extra fun, and if we’re lucky, a surprise on Wednesday morning,” he added.

The jackpot has a $470.1 million cash value. There has been no indication if Graves will choose to collect the full amount or the cash option. The drawing will take place Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET.