The Lotto Matrix: South Carolina Vouchers, A Big Arkansas Win, And Scratch-Off Winners Aplenty

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Million jackpot drawing worth? A robust $94 million — with a cash option of $42.3 million — after no one won last Friday night’s drawing and the subsequent one Tuesday. This will be the sixth drawing since a grand prize of $113 million ($50.4 million cash option) was won in Arizona on Jan. 17. There were three Match 5 winners spanning the last two drawings, including a $3 million winner in New York on Tuesday.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? An impressive $133 million that also includes a cash option of $60.3 million could be won. There have been eight rollovers with no grand prize winners after players failed to match all numbers from drawings Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday.

There were no Match 5 winners nor Match 5 + Power Play winners from Monday and Wednesday’s drawings. There have not been three consecutive Powerball drawings without at least one $1 million winner since Sept. 25-30.

South Carolina lottery-funds voucher bill passes Senate

The South Carolina state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would use funds from the South Carolina Education Lottery to fund scholarships for private schools in the form of vouchers. S. 62, which was introduced last December, was crafted in response to the state Supreme Court striking down the South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund Act last September.

Proponents of S. 62, which passed by a 31-9 margin in its third reading, feel the bill is better suited to withstand legal challenges. The bill specifically earmarks lottery money for the scholarship funds as opposed to being allocated from the state’s general fund.

After it passed a second reading, Sen. Greg Hembree wrote on his official Facebook page, “This bill will expand education choice for low and middle income families to pursue the best path for their children.”

Win Pig Sooie!

A Yell County resident won the largest state-exclusive lottery grand prize in Arkansas history, a $5.12 million jackpot won on the Feb. 1 LOTTO drawing. The winner, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery he had only decided to play the state lotto after the prize crossed $5 million.

“When I saw it was over $5 million, I decided to jump in,” he told lottery officials.

The man purchased two Quick Pick tickets online via Lotto.com, and he admitted it did not sink in that he had won until he picked up the ticket in a special red envelope from Lotto.com’s Players Cafe location in Little Rock.

“We couldn’t be happier to have achieved this new state and company record,” said Lotto.com Inc. CEO Thomas Metzger. “This is our biggest win as a platform and is what we’re all about — celebrating big wins and helping bring incremental funds to state lotteries.”

The man, who celebrated the victory with his wife, told lottery officials he would pay off all their debts and set aside money for retirement. The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is $265,000 after no one claimed the top prize Wednesday night.

My dude, pick a better scratch-off method

A Macomb County man’s random scratch-off method nearly cost him a $4 million payout from the Michigan Lottery’s Magnificent Millions. The 43-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Michigan Lottery he likes to “skip around when I scratch the ticket off,” and thought he had a dud card after his initial pass through.

He kept the $30 ticket with him for safekeeping, and when he put it under the scanner at the 9 Mile Stop & Go in Warren, he received a message he would have to file a claim. He further scratched off the ticket, revealing the three bars and $4 million grand prize payout. The winner opted for the lump sum payout of $2.7 million and plans to save his winnings.

“This incredible story is a great reminder to always double check your tickets to make sure you don’t miss a winner,” said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Scanning your tickets at a retailer or on the Michigan Lottery app is easy and will ensure you never miss a life-changing prize!”

It is the second consecutive week the Michigan Lottery reported paying out a $4 million top prize on a scratch-off. There are still two top prizes for the Magnificent Millions available in the Wolverine State among more than 1.5 million tickets still to be played.

That’s a wicked numbah!

According to Planet Money, an adult in Massachusetts spends an average of $1,037 per year on lottery tickets. That’s roughly $20 per week, with the majority of that spent on scratch-offs. The National Public Radio-based podcast this week looked at the unlikely rise of lottery and scratch-off play in a state once more known for its Puritans.

A hefty payday in North Carolina

Patricia Osborne of Alexander County in North Carolina found one of the four $5 million top prize Millionaire Bucks tickets at Market Basket on N.C. 16 North in Conover. The North Carolina Lottery noted she opted for the lump sum of $3 million that came with the winning $30 scratch-off, which resulted in a net payout of nearly $2.2 million. In addition to the three remaining $5 million top prizes, there are nine tickets worth $100,000 still yet to be won.

Over in Charlotte, it took less than one week for the first of six $1 million top prizes to be claimed playing the 50X The Cash scratch-off. Christian Smith purchased his winning $10 ticket at Sam’s Mart on Johnston Road. Smith opted for a lump sum payout of $600,000 which netted him $430,503 after tax withholdings.

Newsworthy Nuggets

Meanwhile, across the pond… A United Kingdom resident has stepped forward to claim the £83.5 million ($103.8 million) EuroMillions jackpot from a Jan. 30 drawing. Allwyn, which runs the National Lottery, announced Thursday a claim had been received with a ticket that matched five main draw numbers and two lucky star numbers. Allwyn said the payout ranked as the 23rd “most spectacular” wins of all-time.

The Oregon Lottery is playing hardball: KGW-TV is reporting the Oregon Lottery has taken the Shari’s restaurant chain to collections for more than $900,000 in unpaid debt. The state’s Department of Revenue, which is responsible for collections on delinquent accounts to the state, will add 9% interest.

The Beaverton-based chain closed all 42 of its Oregon restaurant locations suddenly in October, facing spiraling debt from unpaid rent, taxes, and other bills. According to KGW, Shari’s generated $34.7 million in lottery sales in 2023.

Checking those state lotto droughts: In what may become a running feature for the Lotto Matrix, the state lottos in both Texas and Indiana are still offering hefty payouts after another week of rollovers. The Texas Lotto drawing Saturday night has a grand prize of $78.25 million with a cash option of $43.2 million. It has now been 96 drawings since a winning ticket was sold in Austin on June 24 to claim a $29 million prize.

The drought in Indiana is longer — there has not been a Hoosier Lotto winner since since Dec. 6, 2023 — and Saturday’s jackpot is $39.3 million. It is the largest jackpot since a winning ticket was played in Speedway on that early December night to claim $44 million.

Until next week, dream big, check your numbers, and play responsibly!