The Lotto Matrix: Texas Lotto Tomfoolery, Mega Millions Ramp-Up And More!

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

First things first

How much is Friday’s Mega Million jackpot drawing worth? A sizable pile of dollar bills at $197 million, with a cash option of $91.9 million. There have now been 11 rollovers since a $113 million jackpot was hit in Arizona on Jan. 17. While no one matched the five numbers and Mega Ball last Friday and Tuesday, there were Match 5 winners in Georgia and Illinois from Tuesday’s drawing who potted $2 million by ticking the 2x multiplier.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? It is a hefty $272 million, with a cash option of $124.4 million. There have been 17 drawings without a grand prize winner after draws last Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday came up empty.

It was a tough February in general for Powerball players. There were no jackpot winners in 12 draws, only one Match 5 winner who claimed a prize of more than $1 million via multiplier, and six others who were March 5 winners for a $1 million payday.

Texas fastball

You know it is serious when the Texas Rangers get involved, and not the baseball team. Gov. Greg Abbott escalated the drama surrounding the state’s last two large Texas Lotto jackpots — an $83.5 million drawing won via lotto courier service Feb. 17, and a $95 million drawing won in April 2023 — by ordering the Texas Rangers to conduct investigations into both drawings Monday.

There has been much ado about the jackpot won earlier this month in which the winning ticket was sold at a retail store in Austin owned by DraftKings-owned lotto courier Jackpocket. But adding a re-examination of the 2023 victory could result in a 1-2 legislative punch that could dramatically alter lottery gaming in Texas.

Within the last fortnight (two weeks for you non-Shakespeare fans) alone there has been:

• An on-site investigation by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick where this month’s winning ticket was sold. He also threatened to shut down the entire Texas Lottery if courier services and mobile apps were not banned.
• Attorney General Ken Paxton launching an investigation.
• The resignation of Texas Lottery Commissioner Clark Smith.
• Bills filed in state legislature to ban lotto courier services and lotto apps. SB 28 unanimously passed the Senate 31-0 on Thursday night.
• The TLC making a policy statement claiming “lottery ticket courier services are not allowed under Texas law” and proposing rule amendments for its upcoming March 4 meeting for “prohibiting lottery courier services within the state.”
• The TLC also implementing “policy-consistent actions” to investigate every courier in the state and limit all retail lottery sites to five terminals.

It is a whole lot to unpack, and the good folks at Low Rollers have an excellent cipher in Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Eric Dexheimer who touches all the bases.

Making Mega Millions more Mega

The increase in price of Mega Millions tickets from $2 to $5 continues to draw near, and International Gaming Technology CEO Vince Sadusky discussed the optimism around the change during this week’s earnings call. He cited a previous price increase of $1 to the New Jersey Pick-5 leading to what Sadusky called a “significant” increase in revenue.

“Historically, when Powerball has increased their price or Mega Millions increased their price a long time ago, it certainly had a significant impact on the net sales,” he added. “…There will likely be a fewer number of tickets sold, but at a greater price point. There will likely be a temporary adjustment, as it takes some time for the increase to work its way through the system and for individuals to recognize the higher starting point of the jackpots.

“And hopefully, the math is right and will result in the faster build of jackpots. And as we all know, the higher the advertised jackpot is is where we get a significant increase in velocity in sales. We think that will be a positive.”

Not exactly a win-win, but…

A man identified as Jean-David E. had his wallet stolen among other documents from his automobile in Toulouse, France, earlier this month according to The Associated Press. The thieves felt lucky enough to play the lottery using one of Jean-David’s stolen credit cards and hit a €500,000 ($523,000) payday.

The alleged criminals are still on the run, and Jean-David wants a piece of the winnings. The only problem is the winning lottery ticket has not been redeemed since it would likely lead to arrests. The vendor who sold the winning ticket charged to Jean-David’s card told Jean-David’s lawyer Pierre Debuisson, “They were so totally happy that they forgot their cigarettes and their belongings and walked out like crazy people,”

Three down, two to go in North Carolina

A Swain County man in North Carolina became the third of five $10 million top prize winners playing the $10 Million Spectacular scratch-off. WLOS-TV reported Terry Millsaps of Bryson City purchased his winning $50 ticket at the Times Turnaround Food Store on Beatty Drive in Belmont.

Millsaps also made the uncommon decision when it came to his payday: He opted for 20 annual payments versus the $6 million lump sum. His first check out of $500,000 totaled $358,746 after taxes, which is a notably higher percentage than the 60% offered with the lump sum. There are two $10 million tickets still in circulation in the Tar Heel State as well as five $1 million tickets out of 20 printed.

Newsworthy nuggets

Getting a lot of bang for your 10 bucks. A food service worker in Anne Arundel County had a lot of itches to scratch playing her $10 Mega Bucks game via the Maryland Lottery. Sandra, who declined to give her last name, won multiple denominations of prizes, and by the time she had finished, racked up $50,000 in prize money.

“I was so excited. My heart started to drop. The first thing I did was call my family,” “Sandra” told Maryland Lottery officials. Sandra scratched off four $10,000 prizes and nine $1,000 prizes along with a smattering of smaller denominations to reach the maximum second-tier prize amount.

It truly is a numbers game. The Palm Beach Post is reporting someone bought a winning ticket at the Amigos Store in Boynton Beach, Florida, worth $2 million for the Jackpot Triple Play contest. The winner, who has yet to come forward, included the number 25 on a drawing that took place Feb. 25.

Why would you (allegedly) do that? Vadim Komissarov, a former CEO who led a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) into a merger with Lottery.com, faces five charges in New York for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud investors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York claims Komissarov spearheaded a scheme to defraud investors of Trident Acquisitions Corp., the SPAC that merged with AutoLotto to create Lottery.com. It alleges Komissarov collaborated with colleagues to inflate AutoLotto’s revenue on SEC filings and also signed the documents.

Will the Hoosier Lotto drought end this weekend? The excitement continues to build in Indiana, where the Hoosier Lotto victory drought enters its 15th month with Saturday’s drawing for a $41.6 million jackpot. The winless spell trying to match six of 46 numbers stretches back to Dec. 6, 2023, when a winning ticket was purchased in Speedway for a $44 million payout.

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