The Lotto Matrix: Millionaire Moriarty, Still-Stingy Mega, And More!

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? Mega Millions is still a “Player,” albeit a growing one with a $166 million jackpot. For those who need cash now, that check before taxes comes to $75.2 million.

There have been 11 rollovers since someone in Virginia matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball on June 27 for the $348 million drawing. Mega Millions has also now progressed beyond the customary $10 million bump per rollover, and the 10x multiplier for a non-jackpot prize is no longer in play.

Two more drawings came and went without anyone matching all five non-Mega numbers, stretching the seven-figure payout drought to a whopping nine. A total of 10 tickets had four numbers and the Mega Ball that spanned drawings last Friday and Tuesday, paying out $330,000 in winnings.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? If no one claims Saturday’s $482 million jackpot, our “Big Boy” will likely mature into a “Grown Man” in terms of status since the next drawing will likely have a jackpot of more than a half-billion dollars. There is also a cash option of $218.9 million for this drawing.

The stark contrast in terms of top second-tier payouts between Powerball and Mega Million continued as Powerball winners collected a combined $11.75 million the last three drawings by matching either five numbers or four numbers and the Powerball. Eight tickets from eight states matched five numbers, with the player in Texas doubling winnings to $2 million by ticking the Power Play option.

It has been 10 weeks and 30 drawings since a player in California matched all numbers for the May 31 drawing to claim the $204.5 million payday.

As the Texas Lottery turns

Nearly six months, three Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) executive directors, the abolishment of a state agency, and one lawsuit later, Kristen Moriarty was at long last able to rightfully claim her $83.5 million Texas Lotto jackpot from the Feb. 17 drawing.

Moriarty and the soon-to-be disbanded TLC via the Office of the State Attorney General reached a settlement Aug. 1 in which the state agency validated her winning ticket and paid out the cash (lump sum) value from the drawing, which amounted to nearly $45.9 million. After taxes, Moriarty netted close to $34.9 million, though not before a lot of unnecessary agita well beyond her control.

“Kristen Moriarty played by all the Texas Lottery Commission rules when she won the $83.5 million Texas Lotto game in February of this year,” said Moriarty’s attorney, Randy Howry, in an emailed statement to Lottery Geeks. “Yet, when she presented her winning lottery ticket for payment, the Commission and state leaders denied her payment and said the rules had changed and she would not be paid. The State’s political leaders used Ms. Moriarty as a political pawn. The civil justice system was the only way to right this wrong.

“Six months later, with considerable loss financially and emotionally, the lawsuit and the civil justice system forced the Lottery Commission to do the right thing – pay the Winner.”

There is still the matter of the ongoing Texas Rangers investigation of the April 2023 Texas Lotto victory. In that instance, an investment firm called Rook TX allegedly received special arrangements from the Texas Lottery Commission to facilitate ticket production in buying every possible number combination for the $95 million jackpot.

The findings may not match the drama Moriarty’s saga created, but remember: They say “everything is bigger in Texas” for a reason.

Intralot out in Maryland

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency announced last Friday it had rescinded its Lottery System Contract proposal to Intralot, reopening the procurement process.

Last month, the state agency approved a Notice of Award to Intralot, which was an affirmation of the evaluation committee’s recommendation for Intralot to move forward in the process. After saying all three offerors met all requirements of the Maryland Lottery’s Request for Proposals (RFP), a further review revealed Intralot did not fully satisfy all requirements of both the RFP and state procurement law.

“As an independent agency, our review process is designed to ensure that proposals don’t advance without meeting all requirements,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency Director John Martin. “Upon determining that our initial assessment was incorrect, we have taken appropriate action to move forward with the procurement process in accordance with procurement law.”

While the procurement process is active, the Maryland Lottery has notified Scientific Games — originally considered the second-ranked offeror — that it is now the recommended offeror.

A history lesson with your raffle

The New York Lottery on Monday announced the launch of the Million Dollar Raffle as part of the bicentennial celebration of the Erie Canal. The odds of winning a prize is 1 in 363, with the 363 a nod to the original length of the canal in miles. There are 15 top prizes of $1 million, as well as 15 prizes of $100,000 and 15 prizes of $25,000.

“With dozens of winners and the best odds of any New York Lottery game, this raffle is an exciting contribution to Governor (Kathy) Hochul’s recognition of the Erie Canal’s 200^th anniversary,” said New York State Gaming Commission Chair Brian O’Dwyer. “This commemoration of Empire State’s history is a chance for some lucky New Yorkers to make history of their own, as the New York Lottery continues to find exciting and responsible ways to showcase our state while raising significant revenue for our public schools.”

There are a total of two million tickets available at $20 apiece, and they can be purchased until Oct. 25 or when completely sold out. The drawing will be held Oct. 26 — the actual 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal’s grand opening in 1825 — and winners must present the physical ticket to claim their prize. If the full allotment of two million tickets is sold, New York public schools would receive more than $21 million in aid to education.

So nice she did it twice

Jennifer Kleinendorst may be the most popular or most envied woman in North Carolina. The Willow Springs resident claimed her second top prize in three months, winning $2 million playing the $20 100X The Cash scratcher in Fuquay-Varina.

According to state lottery officials, Kleinendorst won the $250,000 grand prize in the 2025 Multiply The Cash Second Chance Drawing in June. Kleinendorst collected a $1.2 million lump sum payment for her second win of the summer, which netted her $861,006 after taxes.

Kleinendorst claimed the second of the four $2 million top prizes for 100X The Cash.

Newsworthy nuggets

When the Pick 4 will not be ignored: The Illinois Lottery had a rare occurrence Wednesday when the Pick 4 for the evening draw turned up 4-4-4-4. According to lottery officials, it was the first time a “quad” was drawn since June 26, 2024, and just the seventh time dating back to October 2020.

The one for four and four for one number created 3,200 winning tickets, with more than 2,700 players winning $2,500. The overall payouts from the evening draw totaled slightly more than the nice amount of $6.9 million.

Go be part of a Guinness World Record attempt: A reminder if you’re in Iowa next week, head to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Thursday and be part of a Guinness World Record attempt for the most people playing a scratch-off at the same time.

The Iowa Lottery will be offering fair-goers at Elwell Family Park a free Scratch, Match & Win! scratcher — walk-up entry begins at 4:30 p.m. local time — in a bid to beat the world record of 550. The scratcher offers prizes up to $50,000. There will be a second drawing held after the world record attempt in which one prize of $40,000 and two prizes of $4,000 will be awarded.

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot in the land? The Lottery Geeks chaos crew cheered as we moved another week closer to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation being in charge of the Texas Lottery when the jackpot hits. The Lone Star State continues to have the biggest state-run jackpot available at $43.25 million, with a cash option of $23.7 million.

The California Super Lotto Plus continues to hum along in second, now at $32 million with a $14.9 million cash option following another two rollovers. Florida remains in third at $22.5 million after two rollovers in the Sunshine State. This space whiffed on noticing the Illinois Lotto last week, which has $13.55 million at stake Saturday night. Indiana rounds out the top five at $9.2 million for the Hoosier Lottery.

The multi-state Lotto America has reset to its $2 million base after a winning ticket for Wednesday night’s $4.01 million drawing was sold in Vermillion, South Dakota. State lottery officials said it was the first time a winning jackpot ticket for a multi-state lottery was sold in the Mount Rushmore State since 2018. The player does have the option to take a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1.82 million.

Until next week, dream big, check your numbers, keep your tickets where you can find them, and play responsibly!