The Lotto Matrix: Powerball Winner Goes Power Mad And A Florida Scratcher Maven

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? The $10 million bumps after empty drawings last Friday and Tuesday nudged the jackpot higher to $80 million with a cash option of $36.4 million. There have been three rollovers since the first jackpot winner of the $5 ticket era produced a $112 million score April 18.

Players using “birthday numbers” had a rough go of it last week as only one number below 31 was drawn among the 10 non-Mega Balls. That had a notable impact on top-tier prizes awarded, as only five players had at least four numbers and the Mega Ball in the two draws.

One player in Virginia did match all five white balls Tuesday night to claim a $2 million payout, while the other four tickets with four numbers and the Mega Ball resulted in winnings totaling $130,000.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? The jackpot is an estimated $44 million, or $20.3 million for those selecting the cash option. The top prize reset after last Saturday’s $167.3 million jackpot was claimed by a mother and son (more on the son coming up shortly) in Kentucky.

That was the only notable win in an otherwise quiet week to wrap up April. The three drawings failed to produce a single ticket matching all five white balls with or without the Power Play option. Monday in particular was a lost opportunity with the 4x Power Play drawn.

Kentucky man does ‘Florida Man’ things

In what may be the fastest 180-degree turnaround related to a jackpot lottery win in recent memory, Saturday’s Powerball winner James Farthing was arrested in Pinellas County, Florida, for assault on an officer.

According to the arrest citation, Farthing was at a hotel Tuesday night when an officer attempted to intervene in an altercation. The victim claimed that Farthing punched him with a closed fist, and things escalated — not in a good way — as Farthing also allegedly kicked the arresting officer in the face.

Farthing, who was on parole through August, has been charged battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer, and battery in addition to violating parole.

A Florida woman worth following

The Miami Herald is reporting the Florida Lottery confirmed a woman has claimed two of the 160 $1 million prizes available in the 500X The Cash scratch-off. Gail Riola of North Port found both winning tickets relatively close to her residence four months apart.

The 67-year-old purchased her first winning $50 ticket at a RaceTrac in North Port last November and opted for the $640,000 one-time, lump-sum payment. She tried her luck again last week in nearby Port Charlotte, purchasing that winning ticket at the Circle K for another second-tier payout.

Riola again opted for the one-time payment after bucking the 1-in-274,004 odds a second time. The odds of someone duplicating this feat are about 1-in-75,078,192,016.

That is roughly 258 times MORE unlikely than the 1-in-290,472,336 odds of winning the recently revamped Mega Millions jackpot. It’s also approximately 8,342 times more unlikely than being struck by lightning twice.

The good news is one of the two $25 million grand prizes is still available. The bad news for Florida scratch-off players is Riola has even more money to try and win that, too.

As the Texas Lottery turns

Beleaguered and seemingly battered from all sides, the Texas Lottery Commission did perhaps the only thing it could do to not attract lawmakers’ ire for the moment: Ban lotto couriers in the Lone Star State. The TLC took that action in unanimous fashion Tuesday, one of the first key decisions by Acting Executive Director Sergio Rey.

It was the logical conclusion of events started by predecessor Ryan Mindell, who issued a policy statement in late February banning lotto couriers prior to his resignation April 21. The ban takes effect immediately, and according to the Texas Tribune, the embattled state agency has the power to revoke the license of any lottery retailer that knowingly works or assists couriers.

Whether this is enough to save either the agency or even the lottery in Texas is yet to be determined. The House of Representatives passed a budget last month that would defend the Texas Lottery, and the TLC is facing a lawsuit from Lotto.com alleging the rule Mindell authorized is in violation of state code and notes the “Interim Rule included the amendment or repeal of a prior rule.”

The courier claims the rule Mindell authorized does not comport with the TLC’s assertion in its letter that the “Commission did not regulate couriers and represented that it lacked the authority to do so in the Confirmation Letter.”

Newsworthy Nuggets

Racking up wins and frequent flyer miles: The March 28 Mega Millions drawing that produced a $5 million winner in Texas thanks to the 5x Megaplier on a line that matched all five non-Mega Ball numbers turned out to be someone from Nevada.

The winner, who resides in Henderson and wished to remain anonymous, made the purchase at RaceTrac in Fort Worth. That drawing was the last held under the old Mega Million rules when tickets were $2 and a player had to select the Megaplier to activate it.

Nevada is one of five states that does not have a lottery.

Texas gives, Texan takes: While one lottery player visited Texas and won a prize, one Texan was a tourist in Florida and came away with a $1 million prize. According to WPEC in West Palm Beach, Florida Lottery officials said David Lee won the second and final grand prize of the $1,000,000 A Year for Life Spectacular Scratch-Off after purchasing the $50 ticket at the Walmart Liquor Box in Cape Coral.

Lee opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000. The other $1 million winner, Preston Legge, also purchased his winning ticket at a Walmart last August in Orlando.

Scratch, slice, hook, win: A Maryland man bookended a round of golf at Nutters Golf Club with the purchase of two $1 Million Royale scratch-off tickets from the nearby Express Lane convenience store in Salisbury. After coming up empty on the first $20 ticket, he returned for a mulligan and came up with something arguably better than an ace: a $1 million winning ticket.

The man, who used the moniker “19th Hole” when telling his story to Maryland Lottery officials, recounted he was unsure he won anything when the screen read “$1 million” after scanning the ticket since that was also the name of the scratcher. He tried again in the parking lot, first scanning the morning ticket with his smartphone before making the discovery of his seven-figure windfall.

“He was stuttering pretty good,” said 19th Hole’s wife, whom he called shortly after confirming he did indeed win $1 million. She also needed a little bit of convincing, telling him to “Shut up!” a few times before reveling in their good fortune. He plans on investing his winnings and hopefully retiring early — maybe to lower his handicap.

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot in the land? The 1-2 combination of the California Lottery and Texas Lotto remains atop the charts for another week. The Superlotto Plus on the West Coast has a $23 million jackpot with a $10.7 million cash option available. The Texas Lotto has climbed to $16.75 million with a $9.3 million cash option attached.

New York grabs the final podium spot with a $9 million jackpot available Saturday night, and Florida sits close behind at $8 million. Illinois completes the top five with a $7.3 million jackpot up for grabs Saturday night.

The jackpot for the multi-state Lotto America continues to be elusive, climbing to $32.1 million for Saturday night’s drawing that also carries a $14.8 million cash option.

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