The Lotto Matrix: Mega Madness, Low-Key Lone Star State Doings, And Oh! Canada

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? A tidy $43 million that has a cash option of $20 million. There have been two rollovers since the Illinois Lottery reported a single winning ticket for the $344 million jackpot sold for the March 25 drawing. The holder of the winning ticket has yet to come forward.

Both drawings since the jackpot hit did create multi-millionaires via the Megaplier. Last Friday’s pull resulted in a $5 million winning ticket in Texas with a 5x Megaplier, and there was a $2 million payday from Tuesday’s drawing for a ticket bought at Midland Beer Distributor in Beaver County in Pennsylvania after a player matched all five numbers and paid up for the 2x Megaplier.

There is much more to talk about when it comes to Mega Millions, and we’ll get to it shortly.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? A cool $47 million, or $21.8 million if opting for cash. Like Mega Millions, there have been two rollovers since the jackpot last hit, with a winning ticket for last Saturday’s $526.5 million jackpot sold in California. The ticket, which also has a cash option worth $243.8 million, was sold less than three miles from Disneyland in Anaheim.

The expected downturn in tickets sold that comes after a jackpot win likely contributed to quiet drawings Monday and Wednesday: There were no top prize winners, no one had five numbers without the Powerball for a potential seven-figure payout, and only eight people won $100,000 by matching four numbers and the Powerball.

The Mega happening is almost here

As colleague Jeff Edelstein notes, Friday’s drawing marks the end of an era for Mega Millions as it is the final drawing a player can win well, mega millions, spending as little as $2. Starting next Tuesday, the price for each play increases to $5.

With that 150% increase in price comes a few new features. Most notably, the base jackpot jumps from $20 million to $50 million. On the other end of the prize scale, simply matching the Mega Ball is good for $10 — a nice little reward worth the price of two plays. But the real action, according to Lotto.com CEO Thomas Metzger, is when the jackpot will swell faster after a few drawings without a grand prize winner.

“I think the $5 price point is really a great thing,” Metzger told Lottery Geeks this week. “It will create additional excitement. You’ve seen lottery sales skyrocket when the jackpot goes from $20 million to $1 billion. Now, this is going to result in more billion-dollar jackpots and more record-setting jackpots, plus there’s a $10 million prize level that will help keep the excitement level up even during the middle of a long run without a jackpot.”

Both Mega Millions and Powerball have raised ticket prices previously. Powerball was the first to go from $1 to $2, in 2012, and five years later, Mega Millions followed suit. Metzger noted each increase brought about dramatic increases in sales the following fiscal year, creating optimism this one will do likewise to help build larger jackpots in faster fashion.

As the Texas Lotto Turns

This week’s installment of the Lone Star lottery soap opera may be as low-key as it gets since it deals with civics.

The Texas Lottery Commission heard public comment Thursday on its proposed rule change to revoke the license from any retailer that sells tickets to or works with a lottery courier service. The TLC’s move was one of the many aftershocks that have come following the fallout of the winning ticket from February’s $83.5 million drawing being sold via lotto courier.

There were two speakers, one for the rule change and one in opposition. Paul Hardin, president of the Texas Food and Fuel Association, backed the rule change and claimed couriers pose a risk to the integrity of the commission. Hardin’s association represents more than 16,000 convenience stores and gas stations that are responsible for roughly two-thirds of lottery ticket sales in the state.

Speaking against the bill was Rob Porter, the chief legal officer of Lotto.com, who spoke on behalf of the Responsible Courier Coalition comprised of his company, Jackpot.com, and Jackpocket. He questioned the TLC’s claim that banning courier services would have “no significant fiscal impacts for state and local governments,” and said couriers have brought sales in excess of $100 million to the state.

Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier this week the investigation by the Texas Rangers he ordered into both February’s lotto victory and $95 million jackpot won in March 2023 is not expected to be completed before the end of the legislative session.

Speaking of Jackpot.com …

The online lottery courier service announced Wednesday it has entered a strategic partnership with TelevisaUnivision to become its official lottery courier and provider of lottery results across TelevisaUnivision’s platforms.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports there are an estimated 65.2 million Hispanics living in the U.S., and research from MRI-Simmons claims that more than 15 million Hispanics buy lottery tickets. Jackpot.com currently operates in seven states, offering the ability to order official state lottery tickets online.

“This partnership with TelevisaUnivision underscores Jackpot.com’s commitment to expanding access to safe and responsible lottery play,” said Akshay Khanna, CEO and co-founder of Jackpot.com. “By integrating our lottery courier services and results across TelevisaUnivision’s extensive media platforms, we can connect with millions of Hispanic consumers in a meaningful way, ensuring they have the most convenient and secure options to engage with their favorite lottery games.”

Ooooof

Elphaba sang “no good deed goes unpunished” in Wicked, but one has to feel some empathy for 76-year-old Mildred Simoneriluto of Monroeville, Pennsylvania. She purchased lottery tickets for the Cash 5 Lottery in the Keystone State last May in Murrysville and discovered two weeks later she had matched the five numbers for the $2.5 million jackpot.

The problem? Simoneriluto could not find the winning ticket because it was in the pocket of a jacket she donated — along with other clothing — to Vietnam Veterans of America. The charity organization, in turn, donates what it receives across the country and internationally. Thus, someone perhaps in or near Monroeville or on the other side of the world could have a multi-million-dollar ticket in their possession and not even know it.

Pennsylvania Lottery authorities explained to Simoneriluto she must be in possession of the lottery ticket to claim the jackpot. The ticket has an expiration date of May 8.

“I was stupefied; there are no words for it, there’s no expression. How can I get it back?” Simoneriluto said to WTAE-TV. “What else can I do? Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end.”

Newsworthy Nuggets

Ain’t no celebration like a Canadian celebration, eh?: According to the Toronto Sun, the daughter of retired railway worker Bernard White excitedly told her father he won $40,000 CAD playing Lotto Max, which was enough for the 79-year-old in Oshawa to respond still in a half-slumber he could pay off their cars. Five minutes later, she knocked on his door again and told him he won the $40 million jackpot drawn Feb. 21.

White’s initial reaction was subtle because, as he put it, “Now I really wanted to jump out of bed, but I couldn’t because I sleep in the nude. I would’ve hit the ceiling if I’d had underwear on!”

After celebrating with his daughter, White then had to tell his partner — no easy feat given his claims of being a prankster. He said he even had to show her the ticket to convince her he did indeed win the grand prize. White looks forward to splurging on a new fishing rod, a cruise around Newfoundland, and a $3,000 set of speakers with his winnings. The rest, he said, will be shared among his daughter and his siblings.

Staying north of the border: There were two other recent public disclosures of Lotto Max wins from January drawings. The first involved five co-workers in Ontario who split a $60 million CAD top prize when one of them played a ticket while picking up coffee creamer at Giant Tiger in Etobicoke as a means of celebrating the then-upcoming Chinese New Year in February. Each member received a $12 million CAD payout.

Charles Coffey, an officer of the Order of Canada, became the first Lotto Max winner with such a distinction after winning the $25 million CAD jackpot for the Jan. 31 drawing. The 81-year-old Coffey, a 2003 recipient of the order that is awarded to civilians who make extraordinary contributions to the nation and enrich the lives of others through their work, has been a lifelong advocate of indigenous communities, women in business, and inclusive leadership.

Why would you (allegedly) do that?: A woman in Eastham, Massachusetts, was among four people indicted in a federal court in western Pennsylvania relating to a $4.5 million international lottery scam involving elderly people. The Cape Cod Times is reporting Nicole Lamont was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The four indictments are related to seven announced in December 2023, which included extraditing three suspects from Jamaica.

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot in the land? The California Lottery makes it three weeks running atop the list as Saturday’s Super Lotto Plus has a $15 million jackpot or $7.1 million cash option. The Texas Lotto has edged into eight figures with a $10 million prize for Saturday’s drawing, and the Colorado Lotto+ is close behind at $9.6 million.

Rounding out the top five are Wisconsin‘s Megabucks drawing for Saturday ($9.3 million) and the New York Lotto ($6.3 million), also to be held Saturday. Additionally, the multi-state Lotto America drawing has a $28.7 million jackpot up for grabs Saturday.

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