The Lotto Matrix: Texas Tales, Interesting Illinois Things, Number Of The Beast, And More

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? The base jackpot prize of $20 million with a cash option of $9.2 million is up for grabs. The reset button was hit Tuesday night as the Illinois Lottery reported a single winning ticket for the $344 million jackpot was sold at Casey’s General Store in Cortland, Ill., approximately 65 miles west of Chicago.

Casey’s will receive a cash bonus of $500,000 for selling the winning ticket, which continued an impressive run of big Mega Millions winners in Illinois in recent years. A $56 million winning ticket was purchased in Crestwood in June 2021; an Illinois-record Mega Millions $1.34 billion winning ticket was bought in Des Plaines in July 2022, and an iLottery player claimed a $552 million jackpot last June.

There were also Match 5 winners in each of the last two Mega Millions drawings. A ticket in Florida for last Friday’s drawing matched all five numbers and the 3x Megaplier to create a $3 million windfall, while another ticket resulted in a $2 million payday Tuesday in Indiana thanks to the 2x Megaplier.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? With jackpots of $500 million or more arbitrarily qualifying as “big boy” status, it is unofficially at “big boy” status with a top prize of $515 million available Saturday night. The cash option is $242.7 million.

The number of rollovers swelled to 29 after no one claimed the jackpot from drawings held last Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. There were also no Match 5 Power Play winners for any of the three drawings, but there were five $1 million winners for players who matched five numbers.

As the Texas Lottery Turns

While legendary Texas-based rock group ZZ Top is known for its hit song, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide, the Texas Lottery also went nationwide Wednesday — and not in the best way — as the winner of the $83.5 million jackpot in February currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers made her case to NBC News in wanting her payout.

Continuing to remain anonymous but appearing with her attorney Randy Howry, the woman recounted her story of finding out she had won the following morning after purchasing $20 worth of tickets DraftKings-owned Jackpocket, a lottery courier app.

“I just feel like I’ve been caught up [in] this political tornado of controversy that I don’t think I need to be involved in,” she said. “It’s taking a toll for sure.”

Her victory has been scrutinized from almost the moment it was announced a winning ticket was sold, starting with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doing a one-man investigation at the site where the winning ticket was printed.

The controversy has since spread throughout state government and the Texas Lottery, contributing to a bill that passed in the Senate outlawing lotto couriers and the state agency implementing an immediate ban that came after the resignation of Texas Lottery Commissioner Clark Smith.

An Illinois turf war?

Usually, state Senate committee informational hearings do not provide much in the way of drama. Tuesday’s back and forth between Illinois Sen. Cristina Castro and Illinois Lottery Executive Director Todd Mays proved quite the exception as Castro hectored Mays about the legality of online lottery ticket sales centered around one such offering that has a progressive jackpot and whether the state agency overstepped its bounds by not collaborating with the General Assembly.

Castro, who is the sub-Vice Chair of the Senate’s Gaming, Wagering, and Racing Committee, has a vested interest in the legality of such offerings. She is the primary sponsor of a bill (SB 1963) that would legalize internet casino gaming in Illinois, though it appears she has an uphill climb if the House hearing for Rep. Edgar Gonzalez’s companion bill is any indication.

Additionally, the most recent amendment to the Illinois Lottery Law written for Fiscal Year 2019 regarding internet sales appears to back Mays’ position: “Any draw game tickets that are approved for sale by lottery licensees are automatically approved for sale through the Internet program.” Illinois was the first state to expand to online lottery ticket sales in 2013.

Committee Chair Sen. Bill Cunningham noted Mays appeared to have the legal high ground, saying the Executive Director’s answer was “technically correct.” Cunningham, though, was open to the idea of addressing the specific game in question, Cash Castle, as being too much like an online slots game.

During the hearing, Mays disclosed the Illinois Lottery generates approximately one-sixth of its sales — $650 million — via online. With the sunset date of the latest amendment July 1, it would not be surprising to see Castro, Mays, and Cunningham revisit this.

A big blunder in Bulgaria

The European country perhaps best known for producing soccer star and 1994 Ballon d’Or winner Hristo Stoichkov had a colossal failure with its daily 5/35 “Second Toto Chance” lottery on Sunday as one of the balls selected during the live drawing had the number 41. Since the game requires players to select five balls numbered 1 through 35 in order to win, there was rampant confusion and outrage throughout Bulgaria.

The fallout from the embarrassing draw was quick and far-reaching. The entire management team of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizer (TOTO) was fired the next day by Bulgaria Minister of Youth and Sport Ivan Peshev. He also announced that there would be a comprehensive review of TOTO that will include at least five government agencies.

The Bulgarian Sports Totalizer took full ownership of the gaffe, saying a different set of balls were mistakenly placed in the draw machine, and conducted a second drawing with the correct set of balls in accordance with lottery regulations.

Somewhere, members of Iron Maiden are smiling

A Shiawassee County man in Michigan turned his payouts of playing the numbers 6-6-6 on his Daily 3 tickets into a state-record $2.39 million payout on the Michigan Lottery’s Jackpot Slots Millionaire game. The man, who wished to remain anonymous, used $100 of his $500 Daily 3 winnings towards the Fast Cash contest, leading to his seven-figure payout.

“As soon as the clerk handed me the tickets, I ran my eyes over them to see if I had won anything,” he recounted to the Michigan Lottery. “I was absolutely shocked to see that I had hit the jackpot for $2.39 million! We started celebrating in the store and then I got to make the best phone call I’ve ever made to my family and friends to tell them the news! Everyone has been so happy for me and my wife!”

It is unknown if “hell and fire were spawned to be released” by the winner playing his Daily 3 numbers.

Newsworthy nuggets

It is almost here: Mega Millions is allowing advance purchases only through drawings conducted before April 4 ahead of its price change from $2 to $5 that will take effect next month.

Florida Fortune: Helen Matthews of Lake Wales, Florida, had a $5 million payday claiming the top prize of the Florida Lottery’s $20 Gold Rush Limited scratch-off game. Matthews opted for the lump-sum payment of $3.96 million, while retailer Murphy USA received a $10,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.

One man’s almost trash turned out to be his treasure: Joaquin Vaughn Redo purchased a Mega Millions ticket in Newport Beach while he and his family traveled through California. The ticket became an afterthought during their travels and found two weeks later after completing their trip.

Vaughn Redo told the California Lottery he was close to throwing the ticket away because “I’ve said, ‘I’ve never won the lottery.'” Well, never became once after he discovered he matched five numbers from the Aug. 16 drawing to pocket just over $1 million.

Vaughn Redo says he plans to put a down payment on a house with his winnings.

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot in the land? California again holds that distinction, with the Super Lotto Plus jackpot now $13 million for Saturday’s drawing. Texas’ in-state lotto has a $9 million drawing Saturday, and Colorado rounds out the top three spots with an $8.9 million jackpot up for grabs Saturday via Colorado Lotto+.

Saturday night’s multi-state Lotto America drawing on Saturday is worth $27.7 million.

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