The Lotto Matrix: Love Is In The Air … Maybe

Welcome to this week’s “Lotto Matrix,” a weekly Friday compilation of the lottery industry’s most significant, interesting, or absurd happenings.

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? A notable chunk of change at $129 million, or a cash option of $58.6 million is available. This will be the ninth drawing since a grand prize of $113 million ($50.4 million cash option) was won in Arizona on Jan. 17.

There was one Match 5 winner from last Friday’s drawing in Michigan who claimed a $1 million payout as the 2x multiplier was not ticked. Tuesday’s drawing was tough on players: There were no Match 5 winners and only four successfully picked four numbers and the Mega Ball for a $10,000 payday. One of those four did tick the 3x multiplier to up their winnings to $30,000.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? The Powerball has a solid jackpot offering of $172 million, and the cash option is worth $79.7 million. There have now been 11 rollovers without a grand prize winner after drawings Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday came up empty.

There were, however, a couple of near-misses from the Monday and Wednesday drawings. A Wisconsin player was a Match 5 winner Monday night to claim a $1 million payday, and a Mississippi player was a Match 5 + Power Play winner Wednesday night, doubling their prize to $2 million.

Can love survive a lottery jackpot win?

The lottery is about dreaming big, and Valentine’s Day is about dreaming big when it comes to love. Are the two truly compatible, though?

Jackpocket conducted a survey of 1,000 men and 1,000 women aged 18-65 who have played the lottery at least once in the last six months, and some of the responses were surprising.

Less than half of the respondents, 43.75%, said they would tell their significant other they won first. This feels like a low percentage, but it also may be about where and when they play and who is in the immediate vicinity if they do indeed win.

Now let’s get juicy. Eight percent of respondents said they would not tell their significant other if they won the lottery. That split was fairly even — 8.1% for men; 7.9% for women. Which means roughly 1 in 12 would never let on to the other they hit a financial windfall.

Then there’s the nuclear option: 3.7% of men surveyed said they would celebrate a lottery win by ending a relationship. That is nearly double the 2.2% of women who said they would do likewise with a jackpot win. So think long and hard before you slip that scratch-off or quick pick ticket into your beloved’s Valentine’s Day card.

Speaking of healthy relationships

IGT and the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (TELC) announced a nine-year contract extension Thursday that takes effect in 2027 and runs through 2036. The global gaming standout will be providing the Volunteer State agency with a series of upgrades, deploying its Aurora central system that is a “feature component of IGT’s integrated lottery solution OMNIA.” There will also be upgrades to back-office business applications and communication networks.

“For more than 20 years, IGT has been a trusted partner to the Tennessee Education Lottery, providing innovative solutions that have supported our consistent growth,” said Rebecca Paul, Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation president and chief executive officer. “One of our core missions is supporting educational programs in Tennessee, and since our inception, we have raised more than $7.5 billion for our state. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with IGT, whose advanced technology will assist in responsibly increasing both sales and our contributions to Tennessee education.”

“IGT has been committed to bringing best-in-class lottery solutions to the Tennessee Education Lottery since its inception,” said Jay Gendron, IGT COO, Global Lottery. “Through this nine-year contract extension, we are excited to bring new technological upgrades to the Lottery, providing them the systems and equipment needed to drive performance for its players and the good causes it serves in the state.”

A big, blooming win in Petal

A Pearl, Mississippi, resident made history Monday with a state-record $10 million lottery win after matching all the numbers in the Powerball Double Play drawing.

According to the Mississippi Lottery, the winning ticket was purchased at the Petal Food Mart. Petal is northeast of Hattiesburg with a population of roughly 11,000 and was once home to the International Checker Hall of Fame.

The Double Play drawing takes place 30 minutes after the main Powerball drawing and lets players use the same numbers in an additional drawing for $1 more. It was just the fifth time a top prize was claimed in the nationwide drawing since it launched in 2021.

“This is a milestone for the Mississippi Lottery. Not only do we have our first Powerball Double Play, top-prize winner, but this is also the largest lottery win in our state lottery’s history,” said Mississippi Lottery President Jeff Hewitt. “It’s an exciting day for players and retailers.”

Found in the nick of time

A woman from Jonesboro, Arkansas, nearly missed out on a $100,000 Powerball payout from last August because she misplaced the ticket. According to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, Tracy H. purchased the ticket at the Kum & Go 1393, located on 3418 E. Johnson Ave. ahead of the Aug. 31 Powerball drawing as part of her monthly routine.

The ticket she played for the $72 million drawing went unchecked until this past Saturday when Tracy found it in her car. Unsure if it was still valid, Tracy scanned the ticket at a nearby convenience center, which informed her she needed to visit an ASL Claim Center to redeem the ticket. Tickets can be redeemed up to 180 days after the drawing in Arkansas, which put the deadline relatively close at Feb. 27.

Knowing the ticket was worth at least $500, Jones was stunned to realize it was a $50,000 payday since she matched four numbers and the Powerball. Doubling her good fortune, the 2x multiplier she played bumped her prize to $100,000.

“I’m just in shock, really,” Tracy told lottery officials. “We’re excited!”

Tracy plans to pay off her debts with the six-figure winnings.

Newsworthy Nuggets

My man missed a comma and some zeroes. Joel McCauley thought he won $7,500 playing a scratch-off ticket purchased at Liquor, Tobacco, and More in Mountain View near Santa Clara. He definitely got “More” — a second scan of the winning ticket on the California Lottery app on his smartphone revealed he won the second of the four $7.5 million top prizes available for the $25 2025 Scratchers ticket.

“So, I turned my truck around and took the ticket home to leave it there” McCauley told the California Lottery, adding he opted to go to work. He also has no plans of quitting his job and plans to invest his winnings.

Check out the friendly new neighbor. A Mobil gas station on Golf Road in Des Plaines recently sold a winning Illinois Lotto ticket for $10.4 million last Saturday. Station co-owner Jinu John told FOX 32 in Chicago he bought the station a month ago and added, “Our employees are all excited about this win, and of course we hope we’ll find out who the lucky winner is.”

Illinois Lottery officials said the gas station will receive 1% of the winning payout as a bonus, which comes to approximately $104,000. Officials have yet to identify the jackpot winner, who successfully matched all six of a possible 50 numbers drawn.

Checking those state lotto droughts: In what is now a running feature for the Lotto Matrix, the state lottos in both Texas and Indiana still have hefty payouts in the offerings after another week of rollovers.

The Texas Lotto drawing Saturday night has a grand prize of $83.25 million with a cash option of $45.2 million. It has been 98 drawings since a winning ticket was sold in Austin on June 24 to claim a $29 million prize. Saturday’s jackpot is the fifth-largest in Texas Lotto history, and a rollover Saturday would likely move it into fourth ahead of an $85 million payout March 7, 2001.

The drought in Indiana for Saturday’s $40.5 million drawing is longer — there has not been a Hoosier Lotto winner since since Dec. 6, 2023. 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!