The Lotto Matrix: Guy Fieri Cooks Up New Scratch-Offs, Lottery Winnings Could Be Lost, And More

And Canada sees a new record jackpot with its Lotto Max draw

Last updated: September 20, 2024

2 min

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

All aboard to Flavortown

The New Mexico Lottery has teamed up with celebrity chef Guy Fieri to launch a new scratch-off, “Flavortown Fortune!” Inspired by Fieri’s iconic culinary brand, the scratchers bring the excitement and flavor of his famous Flavortown to lottery players across the state.

Players of the Flavortown Fortune scratchers have the chance to win cash prizes instantly, with top prizes reaching as high as $50,000. Along with cash rewards, some tickets also offer unique second-chance promotions, such as exclusive Guy Fieri merchandise, gift cards to Fieri’s restaurants, and even all-expense-paid trips to some of his most popular restaurant locations across the country.

Fieri, known for his larger-than-life personality and hit Food Network shows like Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, saying he’s thrilled to bring some of his “Flavortown fun” to New Mexico Lottery players.

The partnership is part of a growing trend where state lotteries collaborate with pop culture icons to create games that appeal to a wide audience.

$2 million, going twice

A $2 million Powerball prize in Texas is approaching its expiration, with only three weeks left for the winner to claim it. The Texas Lottery recently issued a reminder about this unclaimed prize from the Apr. 10 Powerball drawing. The ticket holder has until Monday, Oct. 7, to come forward.

The winning ticket matched the five white ball numbers but missed the red Powerball number. Purchased at C Mart on Village Center Drive in Austin, the ticket included the Power Play option, which doubled the original $1 million prize to $2 million thanks to the multiplier.

This is the second large unclaimed prize in Texas recently, following a $1 million Mega Millions ticket purchased in Houston that expired after no one claimed it.

Texas Lottery prizes expire 180 days after the drawing, but extensions may be granted for certain military personnel. Unclaimed prize money will be redirected to state programs as determined by the Texas Legislature.

Canada’s Lotto Max recently hit a record-breaking CAD80 million (US$58.8 million) jackpot, and two fortunate Canadians are now sharing the enormous prize. The winning ticket holders, who reside in different provinces, each claimed $40 million after matching all seven numbers in the draw.

Record-breaking Lotto Max jackpot tickets sold in Ontario, Quebechttps://t.co/ylAg4IJXL6
— CP24 (@CP24) September 18, 2024

This historic jackpot was the largest ever offered in the Lotto Max game. It also almost immediately after the jackpot was increased to its new level.

In addition to the record-setting jackpot, several other players across Canada won Maxmillions prizes of CAD 1 million (US $735,700) each, further spreading the excitement. Lotto Max offers these additional prizes when the main jackpot reaches $50 million (US $36.7 million) or more.

A whimsical win

A Michigan woman decided to change her usual lottery routine and ended up winning a $1 million Powerball prize. Kristina Love, a 74-year-old from Traverse City, explained to Michigan Lottery officials that she made an unexpected decision during her visit to the Family Fare store on East 8th Street in Traverse City.

Typically, according to her statement, she only played Fantasy 5, but during this visit, she chose to purchase a Powerball ticket on a whim. The next morning, after checking her ticket, she was shocked to discover she had won $1 million.

Overcome with excitement, she started screaming, prompting her son to rush in, thinking something was wrong. She told him the good news, and then checked the numbers five more times to be sure she wasn’t mistaken.

Her ticket matched the five white balls in the August 24 drawing: 05-15-21-24-43. Love plans to use her winnings to buy a house and share with her family.