The Lotto Matrix: How About A Billion Dollar-Plus Yule Log?

First Things First

How much is Saturday’s Powerball jackpot drawing worth? At the top, it’s nice that our “Grown-Ass Man” stuck around for a second week. Saturday night’s prize is a hefty $1.5 billion, ranking fifth all-time among Powerball jackpots and seventh overall. The cash option is a “Grown Man” at $686.5 million, almost enough to purchase your own Shohei Ohtani.

As the jackpot continues to roll over — now 44 times heading Saturday — the volume of top second-tier prize payouts is increasing. Eight tickets matched five numbers without the Powerball, extending the streak of drawings with at least one such winner to 16.

Wednesday night marked the second time this year New York had three such winners in one drawing, with the other occasion Oct. 20 when this jackpot was merely a “Big Boy” at $305 million. California still holds the title for most millionaires produced in one drawing this year after four players synced up the five non-Powerball numbers Aug. 30.

There were also a healthy number of tickets with four numbers and the Powerball as 86 such lines paid out $3.6 million. Fourteen players collected $200,000 apiece for ticking off the Power Play option, which landed on 4x.

How much is Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing worth? The Mega Millions continues to look pedestrian in comparison to the Powerball as $90 million is up for grabs. That carries a $40.8 million cash option available for last-minute holiday shopping.

Mega Millions has been Scrooge-like for second-tier payouts this month. Players drew blanks trying to match the five non-Mega Ball numbers, making it four out of five December drawings without a newly minted millionaire. Only 10 players matched four numbers and the Mega Ball, resulting in $280,000 in payouts.

Finally, a Wolverine State winner

The largest lottery jackpot in Michigan history has a winner, though they have yet to come forward. The winning ticket for Saturday night’s $32.91 million Michigan Lotto 47 drawing that matched the numbers 2-3-12-15-16-33 was purchased at Wild Bills Tobacco in Chesterfield, which is roughly 35 miles north of Detroit and in close proximity to the Canada border.

The jackpot edged out the previous record of $32.3 million set in November 2020 that was split by two people. It was the third time a winning ticket was sold for the Michigan Lotto 47 this year; the first jackpot won in January was for $1.3 million with the ticket sold in Taylor. The second jackpot, worth $5.46 million, was won by someone who purchased their ticket in Kalamazoo.

EQL Games teams up with Lottoplay

EQL Games announced it has entered a studio partnership with Lottoplay as a means of boosting its iLottery profile. The pairing brings EQL Games together with Lottoplay founder and CEO Hili Shakked, former managing director of Neogames Studio.

Shakked had been with 888poker, raising its online profile, before moving to Neogames. There, he oversaw the release of the wildly popular eInstant Lottery titles The Lamp, The Magician, and Big Crush. Shakked, whose company won the 2023 EGR North America Best New Game award, founded Lottoplay to continue building digital instant games.

“The level of iLottery expertise and leadership Lottoplay will bring to our portfolio is unmatched,” said Brad Cummings, founder and CEO of EQL Games, in a joint statement. “The decades of industry-leading innovation provided by Hili and his team and their bold vision for the future of iLottery made this partnership an easy decision. Our iLottery Marketplace is better for counting Lottoplay as one of its premiere studios.”

“Joining forces with EQL allows us to bring that vision to a broader audience while benefiting from their technical strength, lottery-first philosophy, and unmatched ability to connect premium studios with forward-thinking lottery partners,” added Shakked.

A rough holiday lament

A man who was erroneously told he had won millions of euros in a Norway-based Eurojackpot drawing in June shared his story with The Guardian, and it’s a doozy.

Ole Fredrik Sveen recounted he was in Greece on vacation with his girlfriend when Norsk Tipping, the state-owned gambling company that runs Eurojackpot, sent a text saying he had won 1.3 million kroner ($128,302 USD). That put Sveen into a flurry of celebratory activity, which included calling his mother to share the good news.

But he also had a feeling something was off. Sveen’s worst fear was confirmed when he reviewed his ticket and realized the payout was nowhere near what Norsk Tipping claimed. In fact, it amounted to roughly 135 krone ($13). Gone were the dreams of a possible holiday home in Greece and other far-flung plans he and his girlfriend considered.

“It was a crushing disappointment,” Sveen recounted. “The holidays, the plans I’d made in my head all disappeared. I had to call my mum and tell her I hadn’t actually won any money. My girlfriend broke down in tears.”

Sveen added it was not until the following Monday that Norsk Tipping confirmed it indeed made it an error. He saw wry amusement that the CEO who resigned in wake of the mistake received a payout larger than his “imagined win.” It also left Sveen understandably jaded about the lottery.

“The lottery feels tainted for me now; I don’t play anymore,” he said. “There’s a saying in Norway: ‘You’re either lucky in love or games.’ I have to accept that I’m lucky in love, and that’s my lot. I think my girlfriend would agree we’d much rather it be that way — even if the Greek holiday home has to remain a pipe dream.”

Newsworthy nuggets

Who has the biggest active individual state lotto jackpot? With the Michigan Lotto 47 finally claimed, there is a new Lotto Matrix clubhouse leader for state-run jackpots. The Empire State takes top billing for the weekend as the New York Lottery has a $13.6 million jackpot available Saturday night.

Flipping to the West Coast, California climbs into the shotgun seat at $12 million, while Illinois slides into third at $9.35 million. Massachusetts ($9 million) and Indiana ($8.6 million) round out the top five, with Texas lurking close behind at $8.5 million.

The multi-state Lotto America has hit eight figures, with Saturday night’s drawing offering a $10.02 million jackpot that also has a $4.58 million cash option available.

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