The Lotto Matrix: More Mega Math And Feeling Good In Frisco

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? A robust $112 million with a cash option of $49.3 million in the fourth drawing of the $5 ticket era. The first three have failed to produce a grand-prize winner, but the seal was broken in terms of million-dollar wins as drawings both last Friday and Tuesday saw players match all five non-Mega numbers.

Last Friday, a player in Michigan claimed $3 million thanks to the 3x Megaplier, while a pair of winners in New York had enhanced seven-figure payouts from Tuesday thanks to 4x and 2x Megapliers, respectively.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? The jackpot is a scintillating $131 million, or $58.6 million for those wanting immediate cash. And like Mega Millions, a dry spell regarding near-jackpot winners also ended this week.

Following a sixth consecutive drawing without even a $1 million winner last Saturday, a player in New York matched all five non-Powerball numbers and ticked the Power Play option to claim a $2 million prize from Monday’s drawing. That was followed up Wednesday by a Minnesota player who also matched five numbers to pocket $1 million.

There have been eight rollovers since someone in California had the lone winning ticket for the March 29 drawing worth $527 million.

Mega napkin math: The sequel

One of the biggest selling features of the new $5 price point for Mega Millions tickets prior to launch earlier this month was the claim that jackpots would swell faster. Friday night’s drawing is an early test, and on the surface, looks to fit that claim.

Colleague Eric Raskin stepped up his napkin math game this week, noting this jackpot represents a 107% increase from the $54 million jackpot available for the first drawing with a $5 ticket on April 8. That is higher than an 86.4% increase in a four-drawing span from late January into early February and an 82.2% bounce spanning four drawings in January.

But, as Raskin noted, these percentages are merely statistics in a vacuum. They do not factor outside elements, including Powerball drawings going on simultaneously and people still acclimating to the new Mega Millions ticket price. And bigger macro factors including how the general state of the economy impacts discretionary spending for things including gambling.

He estimated approximately 5 million tickets have been sold for each of the first three drawings. That is enough to show an increase in spending per drawing compared to the final drawings of the $2 era. Friday night’s drawing may be the first that tests where exactly “lotto fever” kicks in for a groundswell of ticket purchases at $5.

Arizona to regulate lotto couriers

Arizona will become the third state along with New York and New Jersey to regulate lotto couriers. The decision came during the Arizona Lottery’s April 10 meeting in a two-part move. The first was a motion to authorize prohibiting retailers from selling tickets to lotto couriers without the Arizona Lottery’s approval.

After that unanimously passed, a second motion to authorize the Arizona Lottery to allow it to operate lottery courier services also passed in unanimous fashion. The decision by Arizona to regulate couriers such as Jackpocket, Jackpot.com, and Lotto.com presents a stark contrast to the current effort in the Texas legislature to ban them.

While Indiana also instituted a ban on lotto couriers, that bill was more a procedural move to clear the decks should the state want to expand into selling lottery tickets online.

Silver State shutdown

Nevada is one of only five states in the country without a lottery, and it appears the Silver State will retain that status for the foreseeable future. AJR 5, which would have put having a state lottery up for a vote by the public, failed to advance out of the Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections in the House ahead of an April 11 deadline.

It was a quiet death for the resolution, which was originally passed in 2023 and provided optimism it could advance again this session. State law requires any lottery-related legislation to pass through both houses of legislature in back-to-back sessions, a testament to the power of the state’s gambling industry centered in Las Vegas. The state legislature meets only in odd-numbered years.

“It was never brought up to me until the Culinary [Union] asked when we were going to have a hearing,” state Rep. Steve Yeager told The Nevada Independent. “It was like no one worked on it.”

The Nevada Resort Association marshaled opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment ahead of this legislative session, pointing out casino gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry that generates more than 436,000 jobs and has an economic impact of over $100 billion in the state.

It was the first time a lottery bill moved that close to potential passage since 1901. Nevada residents have never had an opportunity to vote on legalizing a state lottery.

A life-changing lottery win worth rooting for

Everyone has a moment that can change their lives. For a man in San Luis Obispo who was reportedly homeless, the hope is his $1 million win playing the California Lottery’s Triple Red 777 scratch-off is a change for the better.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported the man bought two of the $10 Triple Red 777 scratchers and other assorted ones totaling $5 on April 6. The man was an instant winner as the first $10 scratch-off provided a $200 payout. But the second one proved life-altering as it was the eighth of the 13 tickets offering the $1 million top prize. The man originally thought it was worth $100,000, but Wilson Samaan, manager of Sandy’s Deli-Liquor, helped him realize there was an extra zero to that payout.

Samaan helped the man throughout the process of validating the winning ticket via constant contact with the California Lottery and offered to either drive him to the nearest claims center in Fresno or purchase a bus ticket there. Fellow nearby business owner Adam Kemp shared the man’s story to Instagram, and both said he is a very deserving winner.

“He deserved every penny of it,” Samaan told the Chronicle. “He’s a good guy.”

“I’m so happy for the both of them!” Kemp wrote on his Instagram post. “You never know when it’s your day to win big in life!”

Newsworthy nuggets

Sign(s) of the times: The Rhode Island Lottery is updating its billboard signage along three roads in the Ocean State that will accurately reflect when Powerball or Mega Millions jackpots surpass $1 billion. The signage has increased LED space and will have “million” or “billion” underneath the numerical amount. The billboards previously had a “million” that was a permanent fixture, which occasionally became an issue when jackpots would progress beyond $999 million.

As the Texas Lottery turns: This week’s installment sees Texas again getting some national attention with a look back at how a London banker put together the pieces that led to winning the $95 million drawing in 2023 and contributed to the whole mess to where the Lone Star State is now.

An identity may be revealed: The winner of the sixth-largest Mega Millions lottery in history — a $1.35 billion jackpot — may be forced to reveal his name after a Maine judge ruled he cannot use a pseudonym if his case proceeds to trial. The man, who won the jackpot in January 2023, filed a lawsuit against an unnamed woman in November 2023 claiming she violated a non-disclosure agreement after he won the lottery.

The man, who opted for the lump-sum payment of $723.6 million before taxes, claimed the jackpot anonymously through a limited liability company (LLC). The non-disclosure agreement included not telling his family and the daughter he had with the woman until the daughter’s 18th birthday in 2032.

Recent court filings by the woman, who is identified by the pseudonym Sara Smith, said it was the man who told his family about the lotto victory, which led to a falling out on his side of the family regarding unkept promises related to what the man would do with the winnings to help take care of them.

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot in the land? The California Lottery remains the state with the biggest prize, this time with a $19 million jackpot in the offering. The Texas Lotto continues to hold the No. 2 spot at $13.75 million, and the Colorado Lotto+ is the only other state lottery in eight figures at $11.1 million.

With someone winning last Saturday’s $9.5 million Wisconsin Megabucks drawing, the New York Lotto slides into fourth with a $7.5 million jackpot, and the Washington Lottery rounds out the top five this weekend with $6.3 million up for grabs Saturday. Additionally, the jackpot for the multi-state Lotto America drawing Saturday is $31.4 million, with a $14.05 million cash option available.

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