A new bill that made its way through Senate on Tuesday and garnered overwhelming support (23-5) will now make it possible for jackpot winners to not have to worry about divulging their identity – if they choose not to.

Lottery Winners Now Entitled to Privacy If They Choose To

House Bill 3115 received the approval of the Senate and will now be sent to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s office for final approval. This will put Oregon in the company of other states that have recently decided that the anonymity of a winner should be a matter of personal choice and not state law.

Historically, disclosing the identity of the person who won invited public scrutiny and allowed the lottery to operate above board. However, all state lotteries around the United States have been able to burnish their credentials and introduce safeguards that make it virtually impossible for collusion to occur.

Even if a lottery employee did influence the outcome of a draw or tipped third parties, that would not remain unknown for long. Therefore, the reasoning behind the rule that forces winners to disclose their identity has mostly lost its relevance, with most states giving winners freedom of choice.

Up until now, Oregon was a part of 23 states to deny this right to lottery players, but as soon as Gov. Kotek signs the bill (there are no signs that she would seek to oppose it), this will change. Winners certainly feel relieved, as many have voiced concerns over their privacy and safety, being targeted by scammers.

However, the bill was also met with some criticism, as some dissident voices have been heard over the role that courier services could play in all of this, arguing that it benefited said courier services in the end.

Lottery Couriers on the Chopping Block

Lottery couriers are already under a lot of pressure, after they have made it possible for syndicates to snatch up available tickets for certain draws by fitting in all possible combinations and thus all but guaranteeing a win.

A similar case recently took place in Texas, where a courier-bought ticket snatched the jackpot prompting scrutiny from the regulator, lawmakers, and the governor, who all lambasted the company that had sold the ticket. Soon after, Texas announced that it would prohibit the use of courier sites and apps for the sale of tickets.

Opponents to the Oregon bill have similarly raised concerns over courier services, which are said to be operating in a legally grey area.

It’s been a month since the Mega Millions jackpot fell, and now the group of winners, who still remain anonymous, has come forward to claim the prize.

Winners Come Forward

The $349 million Mega Millions jackpot landed on March 25 after a group of lucky players guessed the winning combination. Early Wednesday morning, the Illinois Lottery announced that the prize had at last been claimed. The group, who opted to stay anonymous and go by the nickname “Blessed,” purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket at Casey’s General Store located at 70 S. Somonauk Road in Cortland. As a reward for selling the winning ticket, the retailer was awarded a $500,000 bonus. 

According to the Mega Millions website, one ticket matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, which had an estimated cash option of $161.4 million. Initially projected at $344 million, the final jackpot amount increased due to higher-than-expected ticket sales.

This marks the fourth Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Illinois over the past four years. Noteworthy recent wins include a $1.34 billion prize in 2022, which is the largest in the state’s history. Last year, one lucky iLottery player won $552 million in June 2024, making it the largest online lottery win in US history.

Meanwhile, the most recent winners said that they feel “absolutely ecstatic and feel incredibly blessed.” They also explained they plan to use the money for good, saying the prize “will truly be the gift that keeps on giving.”

This win is one of several massive lottery wins that have happened recently. Just a few days ago, a Kentuckian won the $167.3M Powerball Jackpot, although the winner has not yet come forward to claim their prize.

There Were More Winners

In addition to the jackpot winner, a ticket sold in Florida matched all five white balls, earning a $1 million prize. The last time the jackpot was won was on January 17, when a player in Arizona claimed a $112 million prize.

According to the Mega Millions website, Tuesday’s drawing produced a total of 619,889 winning tickets across the country. Among them, 18 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to claim third-tier prizes of $10,000 each – seven of which doubled their winnings to $20,000 thanks to the Megaplier option.

The jackpot will now reset to $20 million for Friday night’s drawing. Each ticket sold also contributes significantly to education in Illinois. During this jackpot run, total Mega Millions ticket sales reached nearly $24 million, allowing the Illinois Lottery to return over $9 million to the Common School Fund in support of K-12 education.

One lucky player from Kentucky won the $167.3 million Powerball jackpot on Saturday’s draw, marking the fourth time in 16 years someone has managed to guess all six numbers. 

Kentucky Powerball Jackpot Lands

Last week, the lottery marked its birthday, celebrating its 33^rd birthday on Tuesday, April 22. It seems quite fitting that one lucky player scored the winning combination at the end of the festive week. The ticket was sold at Clark’s Pump N Shop in Georgetown while the numbers pulled on April 26’s draw were 1, 12, 14, 18, 69, a red Powerball 2, and a Power Play multiplier of 3X. 

Across the country, over 510,000 tickets won cash prizes in Saturday night’s drawing. Other notable winners include seven tickets that each won $150,000 and ten tickets that each won $50,000.

The winning ticket holder can claim their prize within 180 days from the date of the drawing at the lottery headquarters in Louisville. They can choose between an annuitized prize of $167.3 million or a lump sum of $77.3 million, both amounts before taxes. If the winner opts for the annuity, they will receive an initial payment, followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year. 

According to the Kentucky Lottery, this is the biggest jackpot ever sold in the commonwealth. The previous record for the largest Powerball win was a $128.6 million jackpot, sold in December 2009 at a Georgetown retailer, ProTravel Marathon. The most recent Powerball jackpot win in the state occurred in December 2021 at a retailer in Simpsonville.

What Happens Now?

At the time of writing of this article, it is still not publicly known who the winner is. Mary Harville, CEO of the Kentucky Lottery, called the win a historic moment for both retailers and players. The winner is advised to sign the back of their ticket and store it in a secure location, Harville said in a news release. Harville also recommended that the ticket holder seek financial and legal advice before claiming the $167.3 million Powerball jackpot, given the size of this prize. 

For the upcoming drawing on Monday night, the Powerball jackpot will reset to $20 million, with a cash value of $9.2 million.

More than $230 million was up for grabs from Mega Millions on the game’s latest drawing last week. To be [Read more…] about Mega Millions Jackpot Survives Recent Draw, Surpasses $250M

The winner of a massive Powerball jackpot in Australia nearly missed his chance for the prize after almost forgetting to buy a ticket. That’s the case of a Bribie Island man, who scored the mind-blowing AU$60 million ($37.7 million) Powerball prize on Thursday night. [Read more…] about Single Ticket Wins Massive AU$60M Powerball Jackpot

Friday the 13th is once again around the corner. While some cultures consider the day to be unlucky, or even the unluckiest day a year may have, fortunate lottery players, have won large prizes precisely on such dates.

That is the case of several Michigan lottery players who won big earlier this year, scoring prizes that varied in size. Now, with Friday the 13th hours away, many Americans are likely going to try their luck for the growing Mega Millions jackpot.

Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $670M

The lottery game’s latest drawing was on Tuesday. Several players matched correctly all winning numbers with the exception of the Mega ball, enabling the grand prize to continue growing. While an estimated $619 million jackpot was up for grabs on Tuesday, the Mega Millions grand prize now inches closer to the mind-blowing sum of $700 million.

An estimate from the popular lottery game confirms that the grand prize is expected to hit $670 million in the upcoming drawing. If an incredibly fortunate player matches all winning numbers on the upcoming draw, they can also select a cash option which would be $317.8 million. As noted, the next drawing of Mega Millions is scheduled for Friday, December 13.

The odds of winning the top prize from Mega Millions are always the same, regardless of how many players purchase tickets. Scoring the jackpot has odds of 1 in 302.5 million.

Several Players Collected Tier-Two Prizes

From the latest drawing, a total of four players matched correctly the winning white balls, 12, 14, 26, 48 and 52. One of the tickets, belonging to an incredibly lucky player from Florida who paid extra for the game’s Megaplier option, won $5 million. The remaining three tickets, two in California and one in Maryland won the standard $1 million prize.

On the other hand, nearly three dozen fortunate players won a tier-three prize after matching correctly four white balls along with the red Mega ball. Six players paid extra for Mega Millions’ Megaplier option, increasing their payout to $50,000 each. On the other hand, the remaining 23 players collected the standard $10,000 prize each.

Recently, the winner of a Mega Millions jackpot from California, who already claimed half of the prize, filed a lawsuit, asking for the remaining half of the top prize. While the lawsuit was filed earlier this month, the drawing in question dates back to December 8, 2023. The fortunate player, who already collected $197.5 million, claimed that he also purchased a second identical ticket, which is why he is due to receive the full $394 million jackpot.