LEWISTON – It’s not every day that a string of big, fat zeroes means good fortune. But Tuesday was just such a day.

The Maine State Lottery Pick 3 number announced Tuesday night was rare enough that few people can remember such an occasion. Zero, zero, zero.

“It’s wild,” said Phil St. Pierre, owner of Victor News on Park Street. “We’ve had triple numbers before. I can’t say I recall triple zeroes.”

Wild, yes. Unusual, certainly. And yet, Maine State Lottery records revealed Tuesday night that 18 people had won $250 with the unlikely drawing of goose eggs.

“There are some hard-core customers out there who do play triple digits,” St. Pierre said.

The difficulty of playing a triple set of numbers in the Pick 3 is that the number can only be won in straight formation, St. Pierre explained.

Players who play different numbers, such as 1-2-3, can win with the box option if those numbers are chosen in a different order.

It was unknown Tuesday night who the winning ticket holders are or where the tickets were bought. St. Pierre and employees at other stores said they had not yet heard from any Pick 3 winners Tuesday night.

“I know I have some customers who play triple numbers,” St. Pierre said. “Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any who play triple zeroes.”