The Lotto Matrix: Louisiana Lottery Dishes Out Coal, Florida Erases Lottery Courier Services And More

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

Mega Millions into the B’s

The estimated jackpot for the Friday, Dec. 27 drawing is up to a whopping $1.15 billion.

If someone wins on Friday night, it will be the eighth largest winning jackpot in U.S. lottery history, eclipsing last March’s $1.13 billion haul (which was finally claimed earlier this week).

And if nobody wins Friday, and the pot rolls over into a New Year’s Eve drawing Tuesday night? It could climb to the sixth largest in history.

“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a press release. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”

Bah Humbug

Officials from the Louisiana Lottery recently revealed that a batch of Lotto and Easy 5 tickets was mistakenly printed with the wrong draw date, disappointing some lottery players.

The incorrect date printed on the tickets is Wednesday, December 25, but according to the Louisiana Lottery’s policy, no drawings take place on Christmas Day. Despite this error, the misprinted tickets remain valid.

According to lottery officials, the misprinted tickets were generated between 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21, and noon on Sunday, December 22. Players who bought tickets during this timeframe are encouraged to check the dates on their tickets to ensure accuracy.

Tickets showing a December 25 draw date will automatically be entered into the next scheduled drawing, which is set for this Saturday.

Sun sets on TheLotter in Florida

The Florida Lottery has taken action to shut down online courier service TheLotter. According to officials, the service was illegally selling Florida Lottery tickets to customers.

TheLotter allegedly collaborated with ZaZa Accessories, a lottery retailer, and unlawfully served as an intermediary for purchasing tickets. Florida Lottery representatives emphasized that this operation violated state laws and undermined the trust of both players and legitimate retailers.

Steven Harriet, Director of Security for the Florida Lottery, highlighted the seriousness of the issue, stating that such actions not only break the law but also disrupt the fair experience for loyal players and ethical retailers.

He added that the Florida Lottery is committed to working with law enforcement to eliminate illegal activities and uphold public confidence in the integrity of its operations.

TheLotter only relaunched in Florida this past July.

Spain’s ‘El Gordo’ offers fat prizes

Spain’s annual Christmas lottery, known as “El Gordo,” took center stage on December 22, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1812 during the Napoleonic Wars. Despite its long history, the lottery has remained largely uninterrupted and remains a beloved holiday event.

Broadcast across the nation, the lottery distributed millions of euros during the highly anticipated Christmas draw. “El Gordo,” meaning “The Fat One,” refers to the grand prize in Spain’s national lottery, which is renowned as the largest worldwide in terms of total prize money, even though some other lotteries offer bigger individual jackpots.

This year, the total prize pool reached €2.7 billion (US$2.8 billion), with most winnings distributed in smaller amounts. The top prize of €400,000 (US$417,040), before taxes, was claimed by multiple ticket holders who matched the winning number, 72480.

Jackpot.com Powerball player pockets $2 million

A New Jersey resident struck gold by winning a $2 million Powerball prize after purchasing their ticket through online lottery courier Jackpot.com. The winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, claimed the prize just three weeks after signing up for the service, according to a Jackpot.com press release.

This win comes as the Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1.15 billion. Jackpot.com is celebrating the moment with a special promotion for new users: first-time players who join the platform can receive a free Mega Millions ticket by using the promo code XMAS.

Since its New Jersey debut in May 2024, Jackpot.com has rapidly gained popularity, establishing itself as a key component of the state’s lottery ecosystem. It was part of a successful 2024, during which the New Jersey Lottery reported $3.63 billion in sales, marking the fourth-highest annual sales in the lottery’s history.

Best Of The Rest

$50,000 a year for life: Dade County Man Wins $1 Million Playing $50,000 A Year For Life Scratch-Off Game

All in a day’s work: Wayne County man wins $1 million on instant lottery ticket purchased in Plymouth

With a cherry on top: Wayne County Man Wins $1 Million Playing Michigan Lottery’s Wild Cherry Instant Game

Check the prize box and see you next week!