The Lotto Matrix: Credit Card Ban Advances In Illinois And Some Lucky Tales

First Things First

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? It’s up to an estimated $70 million, with a cash value of $31.5 million after nobody took home the top prize Tuesday night.

But there were a pair of Match 5 winners — one in California, who had a 2x Megaplier to win $2 million, and one in New Jersey who 3x’ed to $3 million.

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? This one has crept up to $166 million, with a cash value of $75.2 million, after Wednesday’s drawing didn’t produce a big winner.

It did, however, produce two very happy people. A Massachusetts player hit all five white balls and bought a Power Play boost, which yielded a $2 million prize. Meanwhile, a Florida player nailed all five white balls for a $1 million evening.

Oh Vanna!

Kathy Lopez of Newport, North Carolina, turned a nightly ritual with her mom into a life-changing payday. Lopez, who watches Wheel of Fortune every evening with her mother, decided to give the NC Lottery’s digital instant-game version a spin on Feb. 23 for 50 cents. That half-dollar play hit the progressive jackpot for $1.2 million, beating odds of 1 in 100 million. 

“I was like, ‘Am I dreaming?'” Lopez told NCLottery.com. “This is a blessing. I really needed this.” 

Lopez can buy all the vowels she wants for the foreseeable future.

Decade of dedication

Dietrich Kilpatrick of Dover, North Carolina, has played Quick Picks in every Powerball drawing for roughly 10 years, and that persistence paid off Monday with a $2 million winner.

Kilpatrick, a retired farmer with 42 years in the field, bought his $3 ticket at JD Gas & Grocery on N.C. 55 in Dover. He matched all five white balls for a $1 million prize that doubled when the 2X multiplier hit. He plans to put the money toward home repairs and donations to his church.

From here to eternity

Sean Hayes, 56, of Oxfordshire, England, won £1 million (roughly $1,338,460) from the National Lottery using a set of numbers his late father James had kept in a booklet before his death in 2010. Hayes had played the numbers in the past as a tribute to his dad, but lost the booklet for a stretch, before eventually rediscovering it. 

“To think that my dad chose these numbers all those years ago before he died is just unbelievable and it’s a really nice connection to my dad’s memory,” Hayes told lottery officials. An avid gardener, Hayes plans to buy a house with his wife Sara, along with a new car and some long-overdue traveling.

In a final twist, Hayes initially had trouble confirming his win due to poor phone reception when he called the National Lottery, but he eventually got a signal and celebrated with “a few extra drinks” that night.

No credit cards for lottery tickets advances in Illinois

The Illinois House Gaming Committee Wednesday sent HB 4149, a bill that would ban the use of credit cards to purchase lottery tickets, to the House floor for consideration. The committee passed the bill, 16-0.

The proposal would also prohibit cash advances on credit cards via casino ATMs and the use of credit cards to fund any gambling accounts. Bill sponsor Rep. Curtis J. Tarver II said the bill would clean up a “loophole” in the law, but otherwise does not change current gambling laws.

Late-night lightning

A 31-year-old Kent County, Michigan, man turned a $20 scratcher win into a $1 million payday after reinvesting half his winnings into a single Electric 100s ticket at a Wesco gas station in Cedar Springs, about 20 miles north of Grand Rapids. 

“I scratched the ticket in the store and when I saw that I had won $1 million, I started screaming!” the player, who chose to remain anonymous, told Michigan Lottery officials. “It’s a good thing no one else was in the store, because they would have thought I was going insane!”

We should all go so insane.

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