The Lotto Matrix: New Georgia Record, Friends Forced To Share, And More

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

Georgia sets a record

The winners of a historic $478.2 million Powerball jackpot, drawn on October 23, have claimed their prizes from the Georgia Lottery Corp. This haul is the largest Powerball prize ever won in Georgia, with two individuals set to split the sum.

The jackpot’s total final amount reached $478,194,000. The winners selected to take a lump sum, which provides them with $230,566,360 to be divided equally before taxes.

In accordance with Georgia law, the winners have chosen to remain anonymous. Their winning Quik Pik ticket was purchased in Buford, with 2, 15, 27, 29, and 39, a Powerball of 20 and a Power Play multiplier of 2X. In addition to the winners’ success, the Quick Mart retailer will also benefit from the Powerball win, earning a $50,000 incentive bonus from the Georgia Lottery for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.

This record payout beat the previous Mega Millions mark of over $173 million claimed by a Stone Mountain winner. With Powerball tickets costing just $2, players have a shot at substantial prizes, and for an additional $1 per play, they can boost non-jackpot winnings with the Power Play option.

The $500k scratch-off showdown

After nearly two years of legal wrangling, two former Arkansas friends and co-workers finally received a judge’s ruling in their battle over a $500,000 lottery prize. The decision ended with the pair being ordered to split the winnings evenly, a resolution that might not have been the outcome either expected.

The saga began on February 2, 2023, when Jose Quinteros and Jorge Rivera Palma decided to buy a couple of Arkansas 200X scratch-off lottery tickets at a convenience store in Rogers. According to Quinteros, he and Palma had an agreement to share any winnings they earned.

Their initial purchase won them $80, which they used to buy additional tickets in the hopes of a bigger payout. One of these new tickets hit the jackpot, securing them the game’s top prize of $500,000.

Plans to collect the prize together fell apart when Palma went to Little Rock without Quinteros and claimed the prize himself, bringing his nephew along to redeem the ticket. In response, Quinteros sued both Palma and his nephew, Marco Corado Erazo, for bypassing their arrangement and taking the prize money.

During the trial, Palma denied any prior agreement to share the winnings, while Erazo testified he was unaware of any such deal. Arkansas Lottery’s legal team confirmed that the check had already been issued by the time they learned of the dispute.

Ultimately, Judge Xollie Duncan ruled there was indeed a joint venture, entitling Quinteros to half the post-tax winnings, totaling $177,750.

Seeing double: Two Mega Millions wins in same Florida city

Two Florida women had an extraordinary stroke of luck after winning $4 million Mega Millions prizes on the same day and in the same city. Their winning tickets were bought at Publix grocery stores within walking distance of each other.

Megan Chora and Reana Mahaney may not have known each other, but their shared fortune certainly connects them now. Both women drew tickets from Publix locations in Largo, with Chora’s ticket coming from the store at 10500 Ulmerton Road and Mahaney’s from 10411 Ulmerton Road. Each store earned a $5,000 bonus for selling winning tickets.

The wins are from the June 11 Mega Millions draw, and each ticket matched all five white ball numbers but missed the Mega Ball. This win awarded them runner-up prizes of $1 million each, but because they added the Megaplier option, their winnings quadrupled to $4 million each.

Chora claimed her prize on October 30, while Mahaney collected hers on November 5.

While odds of landing a second-level Mega Millions prize are one in 12.6 million, this rare coincidence wasn’t the only instance of luck clustering. Earlier in the year, two winning Mega Millions tickets, each for a $395 million jackpot, were both sold at the same gas station in Encino, California.

That station also made lottery history, earning nearly $2 million in bonuses for selling both winning tickets.

Mother knows best

A Maryland woman received an unexpected windfall after taking her mother’s advice to buy a lottery ticket. Although she’s not a regular player, a suggestion from her mom led her to purchase “a random ticket for a random game” at a gas station in Glenn Dale.

The ticket was for the October 28 Multi-Match drawing, a game the woman hadn’t played before. After taking the ticket home, her mother scanned it, unaware it was a winner. When she received a “Go to Lottery” message on the scanner, curiosity led her to check the winning numbers online.

The winner, who works as a nurse, was unaware that the Multi-Match jackpot had climbed above $1 million. Faced with the choice of a lump sum or annuity, she chose the cash option, taking home $1.075 million.

This life-changing win proves that mother always knows best.

Best Of The Rest

$100 grand for free: Mass. State Lottery winner: Man wins $100,000 prize from free lottery ticket

Not the expected win: Lottery player thinks she won $300 in Iowa. Then, a clerk shows her more zeroes

Red light, green light: Woman checks lottery numbers at ‘series of stoplights,’ realizes she won big in VA

Fortuitous forgetfulness: Group of workmates celebrate $30 million Powerball win

Check the prize box and see you next week!