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Why I Post Every Day on Lottery Moments

Someone the other day asked me why I do this posting every day. And I have to say that as someone who was in the lottery business and talked to winners for more than ten years, my goal has always been to pump you guys up, give you lottery results, tell you unusual, mostly positive stories about winners around the world —because it is my firm belief that positive thinking yields positive results.  I even hope that you can find ways to buy lottery tickets because I KNOW that thousands of folks around the world win every day, and sometimes in the most unusual ways.  So look, I not only want to entertain you, but also firmly understand that although the odds on winning are sometime crazy, someone always wins. And the next time it could be you.

Minnesota Couple Win $2.6 Million Playing Hot Lotto

“You always hope, but you never expect to win,” said Sandy Conrad as her husband, Don Conrad of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, claimed a Hot Lotto jackpot worth $2.61 million.

“I always buy a ticket,” said Sandy. “I didn’t think much about it. When I went to work on Monday, somebody said, ‘Someone in Itasca County won Hot Lotto!’ I had to work late and when I got home, Don said, ‘Get on the computer [to check the winning numbers.]’ I printed off the numbers and checked.”

She saw that all six numbers on the first line of her five-line quick-pick ticket matched Read more

Playing “Poker” Pays Off for Virginia Man, Who Wins $150,000

Imagine driving home, if you will, and trying to figure out how to tell someone you’ve just won $150,000.

That’s the “problem” (if you want to call it that) Kenneth Halvorsen had after he discovered he’d won the top prize in the Virginia Lottery’s World Poker Tour® game.

The Harrisonburg, Virginia man told Lottery officials he scratched the ticket while he was still in the store.

When he realized it was no ordinary ticket, he quietly left the store. While driving home, he tried to plan how to tell his wife in a funny way. However, when he got home, he just came out with it.

Halvorsen said he plans to pay bills with his prize and save for his son’s college education.

Oregonians are “Two-Timers”, Collect $36,000 Playing Lucky Lines Lotto Game

 

 

 

Janene and Garry Thompson of Portland, Oregon, winners of  $36,000, playing Lucky Lines℠ are two timers.

Lucky them.

They recently became the first two-time jackpot winners in the daily draw game.

“Nice to be back,” said Janene and Garry when they picked up their prize at lottery headquarters. When the couple decided to equally share the prize, they were each presented with a prize of $18,000.

In 2008, Janene had been in to claim a $21,000 jackpot prize. That’s a total of $57,000 in jackpot prizes Read more

A “Signs” of the Times; Infrequent Illinois Lottery Player Wins $1,000,000

Brad Bryner of Kewanee, Illinois plays the Lottery only on rare occasions—when the mood strikes or the Mega Millions/Powerball jackpot nears $200 million.

Hey, nothing wrong with that.

so, perhaps it was the spirit of the season, but something compelled him December 23 to buy a Merry Millionaire ticket. That ticket turned out to be a $1million winner, resulting in a very merry Christmas for Bryner and his family.

Bryner, 43, and his wife, Dawn, didn’t initially know they won anything on the ticket; in fact, Bryner tried to enter the ticket via the internet as a non-winner in a special Merry Millionaire second-chance promotion.  Bryner’s ticket, however, was not accepted as a valid entry (because it was a winner).

Upon closer examination, Brad and Dawn realized the ticket was indeed a big winner. “I kept getting the ticket out and looking at it,” he said.

Dawn told him, “it sure looks like a winner,” but the couple wasn’t 100 percent convinced until they drove to Illinois’ lottery headquarters in Springfield in early January to present the ticket to Lottery officials, who confirmed its validity.

Brad and Dawn, 36, own a sign business in Kewanee, Say It Signs, and will invest Read more

New Game Rules, Great Results for Powerball Millionaires in New Mexico

Larry and Cynthia Martinez of Blanco, New Mexico claimed the nation’s first $1 million prize in the new Powerball game.

The Martinez’ ticket for the game’s Jan. 18 drawing matched the white ball numbers of 6, 29, 34, 44 and 50 to win a second-place prize of $1 million. Previously, the prize for matching five white balls was $200,000.

Larry Martinez selected his numbers, a combination of the month and year he was born and digits from an old workplace identification badge. They discovered their good fortune yesterday evening while watching the news.

“I was making supper and I said, ‘Larry, you need to pay attention. They’re calling out numbers,’” Cynthia Martinez recalled.

“I kind of freaked out,” Larry Martinez said. “I wondered ‘How did I win $1 million?’”

As newly minted millionaires, the couple plans to make investments and share the prize with their three sons and grandson.

There is One Winning Euro-Millions Ticket for the Jan. 20 Draw; Are You the Winner of $63 Million (in U.S. Dollars)?

The winning numbers in the Jan. 20 Euro Millions draw are 2,10,22,27,28 and lucky balls 6,8.

There was one winning ticket.

I’ll let you know where (and in what country) that winning ticket was bought as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, congratulations to the winner.

 

Mechanic Tinkers with the N.Y. Lottery, Wins $1,000,000

With worries about the future now a thing of the past, Jamestown resident Warren Conklin said he’s ready for what lies ahead.

You betcha.

The 48-year-old Chautauqua County, New York, man won a $1,000,000 top prize on the New York Lottery’s Empire State Millionaire scratch-off game.

“It’s a Godsend, really,” said Conklin, the head maintenance mechanic at a private label bottling plant in Dunkirk. “I don’t have to worry about the future anymore.”

Conklin credited his girlfriend with purchasing his $1,000,000 winner. “She ran to the store to get some cream for her coffee,” he said. “I asked her to get some Lottery tickets for me, and this is one of the tickets she picked; simple as that.”

Conklin remembers the moment he realized Read more

Paper Mill Operator Wins “Extreme Green” … $200,000 Top Prize

 

New Powerball Rules Begin Jan. 15; Bigger Baseline Jackpot ($40 Million), But Tickets Cost More

As most of you know, I was in the lottery business from 1999 to 2011. I’ve written two books about lotteries and blogged for about four years now.

My new book (updated the one you see on the right) will be out next Fall, both in print and as an ebook.

During those years I worked closely with the folks at Powerball (although, to be honest, I was paid by California, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington D.C.), although I was never paid by them. So with all the changes being made, I asked my contact to send me his officials comments explaining the changes and how things work. This, you’ll see below:

“Change is hard. Even good changes.

“Powerball is changing and since it is just easier to talk about the “bad” changes (in this case raising the price per play to $2), we are more than a little nervous about these changes. But we also know that, if players give it a chance, Powerball will be an even better game.

“We are pulling some of the red ball numbers from the drum. Say goodbye to 36, 37, 38, and 39. That means that the odds of hitting the jackpot drop from 1 in 195 million to 1 in 175 million.

“Still, since we are nearly doubling the money now going to the jackpot, the average jackpot hit will jump from about $141 million to about $255 million. The new Powerball jackpot should also jump more quickly. The guaranteed starting jackpot will double from $20 million to $40 million and will jump twice as fast, by at least $10 million each draw.

“The second prize (Match5+0) is quintupling from $200,000 to $1 million cash (effective Jan 18). We know that no one plays Powerball to win $1 million, but that continues to be the most common suggestion we get: “Instead of paying out $100 million, why not give 100 people $1 million?” We know that the vast majority of players come to Powerball for the big jackpots, but we decided to try giving out lots of $1 million prizes anyway.

“Last year, Powerball awarded about 500 Match 5 prizes. If the game had been in place last year, those would have been $1 million prizes. All U.S. lotteries award about 1,000 $1 million prizes per year, so Powerball alone could be increasing that by half.

“Since there are now only 35 red balls in the drum, it is easier to match the red ball – and you always win a prize if you match the red ball number (either alone or with one or more white ball numbers). The overall odds of winning any prize in the game also get easier. And the lowest cash prize is now $4 (the price of two tickets; we hope you decide to do that). While changing the lowest prize from $3 to $4 may not seem like much, a lot of folks win that prize and it is very expensive for us.

“Now that Mega Millions and Powerball are available (nearly) everywhere, players don’t have enough variety. Powerball is now a premium lotto game with higher and faster growing jackpots (most of the time; Mega Millions is still a big jackpot game); a $1 million second prize (second place is no longer the “first loser”); and better overall odds.

“Those players who focus on spending $1 for their dream still have Mega Millions. Those players who are willing to lay out an extra 20 NICKLES for their big dream, a chance at $1 million (virtually a second big game on its own) and betters odds of doubling their spend can choose Powerball.

“Power Play is changing too. The old concept Read more

Keeping Up with the Joneses; Idaho Man Almost Throws Away $200,000-Winning Ticket

Every now and then there are heartwarming stories during the holiday season that just make you believe that good luck does happen and good things do come to those who are deserving.

On December 18, 2011, believing he had a non-winning ticket, Donny Jones of Idaho Falls nearly threw his $1 Powerball ticket away.

At the encouragement of his wife, Connie, he checked the remaining numbers on his ticket. They all matched. Except for the Power number.

Jones was a $200,000 Powerball winner.

“I just don’t believe I’m the big winner!” exclaimed Jones when he officially claimed his ticket. I’m still stunned.”

Born with a disability, Jones has lived in Idaho Falls since 1970 and has overcome many challenges in his life. He has worked for the Hometown Kitchen Restaurant on 17^th Street in Idaho Falls for the past 16 years, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up to being the cook. He’s been married to Connie for the past 10 years.

“Winning made for a good Christmas,” added Jones who plans to Read more

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Recent Articles

• Minnesota Couple Win $2.6 Million Playing Hot Lotto
• Playing “Poker” Pays Off for Virginia Man, Who Wins $150,000
• Oregonians are “Two-Timers”, Collect $36,000 Playing Lucky Lines Lotto Game
• A “Signs” of the Times; Infrequent Illinois Lottery Player Wins $1,000,000
• New Game Rules, Great Results for Powerball Millionaires in New Mexico
• There is One Winning Euro-Millions Ticket for the Jan. 20 Draw; Are You the Winner of $63 Million (in U.S. Dollars)?
• Mechanic Tinkers with the N.Y. Lottery, Wins $1,000,000
• Paper Mill Operator Wins “Extreme Green” … $200,000 Top Prize
• New Powerball Rules Begin Jan. 15; Bigger Baseline Jackpot ($40 Million), But Tickets Cost More
• Keeping Up with the Joneses; Idaho Man Almost Throws Away $200,000-Winning Ticket

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