The two most popular lottery games in the US, Mega Millions and Powerball, frequently transform lives. Someone will soon have the chance to personally benefit from such remarkable good fortune by winning a prize that is currently worth approximately $1 billion. [Read more…] about Jackpot Evades Players for 23rd Consecutive Drawing, Mega Millions Nears $1B,
Lottery Winner Who Left Prize Check in Shopping Cart Traced Via Social Media
A British lottery winner named “Barry” who inadvertently left his winnings inside a Tesco supermarket shopping cart has been traced and reunited with his windfall.
[Read more…] about Lottery Winner Who Left Prize Check in Shopping Cart Traced Via Social Media
Jackpot: Shooting Star Casino Player Wins $1.37M on Slot in Minnesota
At the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, Minnesota, this week, a lucky Canadian grandfather won more than $1.37 million on a slot machine.
Pictured above is the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, [Read more…] about Jackpot: Shooting Star Casino Player Wins $1.37M on Slot in Minnesota
Mega Millions Climbs to $685M, Recent Winner Claims Dead Dad Told Him to Play
The final Mega Millions drawing of the year is just hours away. And the lottery game’s largest drawing in the final week of the year continues to balloon.
Mega Millions is experiencing a surge in play, as the clock ticks to a close on 2022. After forecasting that tonight’s jackpot would be an estimated $640 million, the lottery said strong sales in the 45 states plus DC and US Virgin Islands where the game is played have increased the pot to a forecast $685 million.
Should a winner hit the jackpot, they will have the option of receiving the full pretax value paid out over 30 years through an annuity. The winner can also opt for a one-time pre-tax cash payment of roughly $347.8 million.
There have been 21 consecutive Mega Millions drawings without a winner. The last time the six winning numbers were hit came back on Oct. 14 when two lucky players, one in California and the other in Florida, split a $502 million prize.
At $685 million, tonight’s Mega Millions drawing is the 11th-largest lottery prize in US history. The top 10 is within sight, as a $687.8 million Powerball prize won in October 2021 currently ranks 10th.
To win the Mega Millions jackpot, a ticket must correctly identify the five drawn white balls out of a pool of 70, plus pick the winning gold Mega Ball out of a pool of 25. The odds of doing so are a puny one in a little more than 302.5 million.
Winner Credits Late Father
Millions of Mega Millions players tonight will test their luck with a $2 or $3 wager for a potential prize that could provide wealth for generations. To overcome such asinine odds of one in 302.5 million, many who win believe a higher power must have played a role.
Though he didn’t win the jackpot, one recent Mega Millions winner believes his late father helped deliver him some cash. A Maryland man who won a $40,000 prize last month during the Nov. 18 Mega Millions drawing told the Maryland Lottery that his dead dad intervened and encouraged him to play the lottery.
The 55-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous as permitted under Maryland lottery rules, used the pseudonym “Wezzie Brunswick” to collect his cash. Brunswick said his father, who was an avid lottery player, spoke to him during his visit with a psychic.
Brunswick said the psychic read off a series of numbers that his father wanted him to play. He did, and it paid off. Brunswick’s Mega Millions ticket matched four of the white balls and the gold Mega Ball.
The payout for Mega Millions’ third-best prize is $10,000. But since Brunswick had purchased the optional $1 add-on Megaplier, and the Megaplier hit on 4x that night, his prize quadrupled to $40,000.
Tonight’s Drawing
Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday night at 10:59 pm EST from the WSB-TV studios in Atlanta.
Mega Millions is hoping for an uninterrupted drawing, something that wasn’t the case in November, when Powerball pulled its six numbers for the more than $2 billion record prize. Powerball later explained that there was a delay in one of its participating lotteries submitting its ticket numbers ahead of the drawing.
Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Mega Millions is administered by a consortium of 12 state-run lotteries, most notably the Georgia Lottery, which facilitates the twice-weekly drawings.
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Jackpot: Horseshoe Las Vegas Player Wins Almost $500K, Retires as Rodeo Clown
A retiring rodeo clown won almost $500,000 at the Horseshoe Las Vegas casino on Thursday. It was the first major jackpot at the recently rebranded gaming property.
Jeff Reeves of Cortez, Colo., won $499,763 while playing Three Card Poker. He hit a royal flush of hearts at the Las Vegas Strip gaming property.
He was a rodeo clown for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Thursday was his last day in Las Vegas.
The 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo took place December 1-10 at Las Vegas’s Thomas & Mack Center.
Reeves said he will enjoy his retirement with the jackpot. Reeves is a Lucky Caesars Rewards member.
A legendary first win in the #HeartofTheStrip! Congratulations to Jeff R. on his $499,763 Mega Progressive #Jackpot win playing Three Card Poker!
21+. Gambling problem? Call 800-522-4700. pic.twitter.com/B4lkq0N2rw
— Horseshoe Las Vegas (@HorseshoeVegas) December 29, 2022
The Horseshoe has nearly 70,000 square feet of casino space, including more than 1,500 gaming machines. Nearly every guest room has been renovated within the last four years.
The Horseshoe Las Vegas is a Caesars Entertainment property.
Prior Jackpots
Caesars Entertainment has announced other recent jackpots at its Las Vegas properties.
For instance, on Monday Caesars Palace said that two players won six-figure jackpots playing video poker.
One lucky winner hit a $400K jackpot with a royal flush of spades. Another player won a draw poker jackpot worth $103,125.
Both are Caesars Rewards members.
Earlier this month, two other players at Caesars Palace won $100K each. One was playing a slot machine, while the other won while hitting a royal flush while playing video poker.
Both of these winners are also Caesars Rewards members. Caesars Palace is operated by Caesars Entertainment.
Atlantic City Jackpot
Across the nation in Atlantic City, a player recently won nearly $1.7 million betting $5 on progressive poker at Harrah’s Resort.
The winner, described as a Monmouth County, N.J. woman and “longtime customer,” hit a $1,681,458.40 jackpot.
The win is the largest jackpot on a progressive poker game at a Caesars Entertainment property in Atlantic City.
The woman tipped her dealers $77K, casino officials revealed. That’s a 4.5% tip.
Casino Rebranding
The Horseshoe Las Vegas was Bally’s Las Vegas until December 15.
Caesars Entertainment revealed earlier this year it would apply the Horseshoe name to the well-known casino resort.
Two years ago, Caesars sold the Bally’s brand to a company previously known as Twin River Worldwide Holdings (TRWH) for a reported $20 million. Prior to that, TRWH purchased Bally’s Atlantic City.
Under the terms of agreement, the buyer provides a perpetual license to Caesars to use the Bally’s name in Las Vegas.
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Massachusetts Lottery Winner Takes More Than $2M Home from “Lucky for Life”
Raymond Roberts Sr. managed to win the sizable prize across six tickets with the exact same numbers and for the same lottery draw.
The lucky man fetched a total of more than $2 million in the “Lucky for Life” multi-state lottery game which offers winners 20-year payments for their winnings. [Read more…] about Massachusetts Lottery Winner Takes More Than $2M Home from “Lucky for Life”
Mega Millions Capping Off Wild Lottery Year With Largest New Year’s Jackpot Ever
Mega Millions and Powerball had a year unlike any other in 2022. For the first time in their long histories, both games delivered 10-figure jackpots in the same year. And Mega Millions isn’t done with 2022. [Read more…] about Mega Millions Capping Off Wild Lottery Year With Largest New Year’s Jackpot Ever