Archived Lottery News for April, 2004

Friday, April 30, 2004

8:50 am - $45 Million Mega Millions Drawing Tonight.  Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $45 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!

Thursday, April 29, 2004

	8:00 am - Powerball Jackpot Reaches $145 Million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $145 million, with a cash option of $76.3 million.
	Ohio Man Wins $22 Million Lottery Jackpot.  A retired aircraft industry worker from Columbus, Ohio was the sole ticketholder of a winning $22 million Super Lotto Plus jackpot earleir this month, the Ohio Lottery announced Wednesday.
	S.C. lottery machines crash on drawing day.  Some North Carolina lottery players hoping to cash in on South Carolina's Powerball lottery walked away with nothing Wednesday after the state's lottery buying network went down.
	7:40 am - Florida man claims $1 million Mega Money prize.  An Estero, Florida man has beaten the odds — 1 in 2,986,522 to be exact — to win the Florida Lottery’s $1 million Mega Money jackpot.
	Ontario mulling lottery tax.  Ontario's finance minister is opposed to a scheme to tax lottery and gambling winnings.
	Tennessee retailers reluctant to pay lottery prizes in cash.  Rebecca Paul, CEO of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp., said she is concerned because retailers do not want to pay out lottery prizes in cash.

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

	12:40 pm - UK lottery players soon to buy tickets at the grocery checkout.  Shoppers will be able to buy UK National Lottery tickets from supermarket check-outs under plans announced today.
	10:30 am - $120 Million Powerball Drawing Tonight.  Lottery players from around the world are hoping their numbers come up in tonight's $120 million Powerball drawing.  If you haven't yet purchased your tickets, now's the time!
	8:00 am - Mega Millions jackpot increases to $45 million.  The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery grew to $45 million Wednesday.
	Store clerk accused of stealing lottery winnings.  Port Washington, Wisconsin police have cited a convenience store clerk for theft after he allegedly pocketed a customer's $250 in lottery winnings.
	Georgia lottery sales continue setting records.  Georgia lottery sales continued to set records during the first quarter of this year, easing worries that the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship may run dry.
	7:40 am - N.D. Powerball lottery sales reach $2 million.  In the first month since North Dakota joined the Powerball lottery, more than $2 million worth of Powerball tickets have been sold at the state's 400-plus participating retailers, the state lottery director says.
	2:20 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing, but 10 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in Maryland, 1 in Michigan, 3 in New York, 2 in Texas, and 3 in Virginia.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

	8:20 am - $36 Million Mega Millions Drawing Tonight.  Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $36 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
	Iowa Lottery adds machines resembling slot machines at taverns.  The Iowa Lottery will begin distributing 4,000 video pull-tab machines which resemble slot machines to taverns and fraternal clubs in the next few weeks.
	House approves strict rules for Colorado Lottery.  Legislation designed to prevent conflicts of interest at the Colorado Lottery passed a key hurdle Monday and will likely soon land on the governor's desk.

Monday, April 26, 2004

	1:00 pm - New York Lotto jackpot reaches one-year high.  The Wednesday $37 million New York Lotto jackpot is the highest lottery prize in the Empire state in more than a year.
	7:20 am - Powerball lottery jackpot zooms to $120 million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $120 million, with a cash option of $63.4 million.
	Florida Lotto jackpot rolls over to $15 million.  No tickets matched all six Florida Lotto numbers, creating a $15 million jackpot for the next drawing, lottery officials said Sunday.
	Tenn. lottery scholarship standards under scrutiny.  Some Tennessee students who qualify for the first lottery scholarships this fall may be slipping through a window that won't be open long.
	7:00 am - E-mail lottery scams arise again.  A fool and his money are soon parted, especially if the fool believes everything in his e-mail box.
	East San Jose ticket wins $24 million SuperLotto jackpot.  The winning ticket in Saturday's SuperLotto Plus, worth $24 million, was sold at an East San Jose 7-Eleven, California Lottery officials announced Sunday.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

7:00 pm - UK Lottery sales up for the first time in six years.  Camelot, the company that runs the National Lottery, will this week reveal that annual sales have risen for the first time in six years.

Saturday, April 24, 2004

2:05 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Friday Mega Millions drawing, but 7 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in Illinois, 1 in Michigan, 2 in New York, 2 in Texas, and 1 in Virginia.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Friday, April 23, 2004

	8:55 am - $28 Million Mega Millions Drawing Tonight.  Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $28 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
	6:40 am - New Oregon Lottery Game Causing Problems.  This is the latest Oregon Lottery game called "Click and Play" could be dangerous to your computer.

Thursday, April 22, 2004

	5:20 pm - Scientific Games Reports First Quarter 2004 Results.  Scientific Games Corporation today announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2004:  Revenues Increased 51%; Net Income Increased 80% to $20 million; Earnings per Diluted Share were $0.22.
	2:00 pm - Ohio Gambling Proposal Would Allow Cities to Vote on Casinos.  Cities could vote on casinos and thousands of electronic slot machines would be installed at Ohio racetracks, under a new legislative proposal that backers hope to put on the November ballot.
	7:20 am - Powerball Jackpot Rolls to $103 Million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, the jackpot grew to an estimated $103 million, with a cash option of $54.4 million.
	Mega Millions jackpot increases to $28 million.  The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery grew to $28 million Wednesday.

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

	7:00 am - Mega Millions jackpot increases to $28 million.  The multi-state Mega Millions lottery jackpot grew to $28 million for Friday's game after there was no big winner in Tuesday night's $20 million drawing.
	S.C. Senators welcome lottery windfall.  State senators were excited Tuesday to learn the South Carolina lottery is bringing in more money than expected and, therefore, more money for the state to spend.
	2:05 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing, but 4 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 2 in New Jersey, 1 in Georgia, and 1 in Ohio.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

	2:20 pm - Maryland Couple Claims $109 Million Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot.  Maryland State Lottery officials today announced the winners of the $109 million, multi-state Mega Millions lottery jackpot, the second-largest award ever in Maryland.
	7:40 am - Powerball lottery sales strong in Tennessee.  Lured by tomorrow night's $90 million jackpot in the multistate game, thousands of Tennesseans bought a chance to win the big money yesterday on the first day of Powerball sales in this state.
	Lottery winner gives away £12 million in one week.  Generous Marion Richardson is giving her family £12 million (US$21.5 million) of her £17 million (US$30.5 million) Euro Millions lottery jackpot - because she reckons she won too much.
	7:20 am - Law firm cuts lottery bill by 15% after scrutiny.  A Nashville law firm has agreed to reduce its $892,000 bill for legal services to the Tennessee lottery by 15 percent, or more than $100,000 legislators said Monday.
	Kentucky Lottery works to counter revenue loss.  Even as they celebrated the 15th anniversary of the start-up of the Kentucky Lottery — and predicted a strong finish to the fiscal year — lottery officials acknowledged an uncertain future yesterday.

Monday, April 19, 2004

	6:40 am - Powerball Jackpot Grows To $90 Million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $90 million, with a cash option of $47.6 million.
	Tennessee Lottery has paid nearly $700,000 in bonuses to date.  State lawmakers are surprised by the number of Tennessee Lottery employees who have received bonuses totaling nearly $700,000 since the launch of the games in January.
	6:20 am - Powerball may draw new kind of Tennessee lottery player.  Powerball tickets go on sale in Tennessee early this morning, and is expected to draw a different player base than its other games.
	New York lottery fans have Mega Mania.  Mega Millions has become megapopular since its launch in New York two years ago.
	Man Dies In Crash Weeks After Winning Lottery.  A northwestern Indiana man who won $9.7 million in a January lottery drawing died when his car struck a utility pole in a rainstorm, police said.

Saturday, April 17, 2004

2:45 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Friday Mega Millions drawing, but 6 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Illinois, 1 in Michigan, 1 in Texas, and 2 in Virginia.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Friday, April 16, 2004

	5:00 pm - $109 Million Mega Millions Lottery Winner Comes Forward.  Maryland State Lottery officials said Friday that the winners of a $109 million Mega Millions jackpot have come forward.
	10:00 am - $13 Million Mega Millions Drawing Tonight.  Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $13 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
	IRS ruling on Lotto fought.  New York Lottery winner Shirley B. Prebola of Greece could end up a $1.3 million loser if the Internal Revenue Service has its way.
	9:40 am - Wiretap equipment gets Lottery official fired.  A half-joking quip about wiretapping equipment sparked an internal investigation that led to the April 2 firing of the Ohio Lottery's human resource director and a continuing criminal probe by the State Highway Patrol.
	GTech Profit Up as Lottery Sales Rise.  GTech Holdings Corp., a leading lottery systems operator, on Thursday said quarterly earnings rose 14 percent, on acquisitions and higher lottery ticket sales driven by big jackpots.
	Connecticut House votes to give jackpot to winner who missed deadline.  A Hamden, Connecticut man who missed a deadline to cash in his winning $5.8 million Connecticut Lotto ticket may get a second chance to hit the jackpot.
	Tennessee Lottery yields $64M for scholarships.  The transfer of $63,774,000 from the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. to the bank account for scholarships represents the profits since the first scratchoff tickets were sold Jan. 20.

Thursday, April 15, 2004

	8:20 am - Powerball Jackpot Soars to $75 Million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, the jackpot grew to an estimated $75 million, with a cash option of $41.7 million.
	8:00 am - The Two Titans of the Lottery Industry.  For investors, the curious thing about the lottery business is that once you peel back the glossy governmental layer, it's virtually a duopoly.  Practically all of the games in this country are managed directly or indirectly by just two companies: Rhode Island-based GTech Holdings and New York-based Scientific Games.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

	10:40 am - Super 7 lottery win both heartwarming and amazing.  It may be the feel-good lottery win of all time: a single mom who can now help her kids, and a father of three who proved lottery lightning can strike twice.
	Virginia Lottery has largest payout ever in Pick 4.  Lady Luck waived her wand just right Tuesday for more than 1,500 Virginia Lottery ticket holders who played 7-7-7-7.
	Wisconsin Lottery sorts mixup on Badger 5 numbers.  The Wisconsin Lottery will pay on two sets of winning numbers from Monday's Badger 5 drawing after a mix-up caused confusion over which five numbers were actually drawn, a lottery official said Tuesday.
	2:00 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing, but 3 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in Georgia, 1 in Michigan, and 1 in Virginia.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

	8:20 am - Euro Millions $30.5 million lottery winner 'shocked'.  A British woman who scooped the biggest ever EuroMillions jackpot was said Monday to be "pretty shocked".
	Minnesota Senate wants lottery examined.  After soundly rejecting a call to abolish the state lottery, Minnesota senators voted unanimously Monday night to study ways to change its management and business practices.
	Lottery is bright spot in S.C. revenue.  The South Carolina lottery has funded more than 300,000 college scholarships and sent tens of millions of dollars to aid primary education, buy new school buses and support an endowment fund for the state's three research universities, said Ernie Passailaigue, the lottery's executive director.
	Texas Lottery sales up for the year.  Overall lottery ticket sales are up this year even as Lotto Texas, the state-run big jackpot game, is down about 26 percent, Texas Lottery Commission officials said Monday.

Monday, April 12, 2004

	5:20 am - UK player wins record Euro Millions lottery jackpot.  The biggest ever EuroMillions jackpot has been won by a British ticketholder for the first time, Camelot said today.
	5:00 am - Man bets all on roulette and wins.  A British man who sold all his possessions, including his clothes, stood in a rented tuxedo on Sunday surrounded by family and friends and bet everything on a single spin of the roulette wheel — and won.

Saturday, April 10, 2004

	1:50 am - Make Mega Millions a Better Game.  After you check your tickets, be sure to take a minute to sign the Megaplier Petition.  Only Texas players currently have the Megaplier, which allows them to multiply their non-jackpot prizes, just like Powerball players can.  If you want this feature in your state, we urge you to sign the Megaplier Petition to let your state Lottery Director know!
	Jackpot Winner!  There was one $105 million jackpot winner from Maryland in the Friday Mega Millions drawing.  More details to follow after the winner comes forward to claim their prize.
	Also, 22 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 5 in New Jersey, 1 in Georgia, 1 in Illinois, 1 in Maryland, 2 in Michigan, 8 in New York, 3 in Ohio, and 1 in Virginia.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Friday, April 9, 2004

	1:00 pm - Michigan authorities break up private lottery, seize $2.2 million.  Authorities have seized $2.2 million and broken up a private lottery that they say mimicked the Michigan State Lottery but paid off significantly more money for matching winning numbers.
	11:00 am - Elderly Woman Loses $10,000 In Lottery Scam.  Tampa, Florida Police are looking for a man and woman involved in scamming an elderly woman out of $10,000 by convincing her they held a winning lottery ticket.
	10:45 am - $105 Million Mega Millions Drawing Tonight.  Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $105 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
	10:40 am - Winning $4 million Hoosier Lotto ticket sold in South Bend.  There is only one winning ticket from Wednesday night's $4 million Hoosier Lotto drawing and it was purchased in South Bend, Indiana.
	7:40 am - California Lottery CEO Resigns.  California Lottery chief executive officer and director Anthony Molica has resigned after only seven months, a lottery representative confirmed.
	Tennessee lottery board member Fair dies.  Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation board member Morris Fair has died in Memphis of complications of treatment for esophageal cancer.  He was 74.
	North Dakota lottery sales still going strong.  The North Dakota Lottery was approaching $1 million in sales through two weeks of play, lottery officials said Thursday.
	Ohio Lottery Seeking Input on New Lottery Game.  The Ohio Lottery posted the details of two possible replacements for the Super Lotto Plus game, and is asking readers for their opinion.
	7:20 am - Man to bet all on Vegas roulette spin.  A British man who has sold all his possessions, including his clothes, will stand in a rented tuxedo on Sunday and bet everything on a single spin of the roulette wheel.

Thursday, April 8, 2004

	9:40 am - Powerball Jackpot Reaches $57 Million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $57 million, with a cash option of $31.4 million.
	9:20 am - Delaware agent wins "fastest lottery fingers" award.  Aimee Truitt, 18, of Georgetown, Delaware, walked away with $800 after winning the Delaware Lottery's 12th annual Fastest Fingers championship March 30 in Dover.
	Florida lotto jackpot rolls to $6 million.  No ticket matched all six Florida Lotto numbers, sending Saturday's jackpot to an estimated $6 million, lottery officials said Thursday.
	Georgia to scale back lottery-funded HOPE program.  The nation's most sweeping lottery-funded scholarship program was reined in Wednesday by Georgia lawmakers, who trimmed the popular HOPE scholarships out of fear they will soon cost more than lottery revenues can provide.
	9:00 am - Ohio Lottery Fires Human Resources Director.  The Ohio Lottery's Human Resources director was fired after officials say she tapped an employee's phone line.

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

	11:20 pm - Mega Millions Jackpot Soars to $105 Million.  What would you do with $105 million?  That's what Lottery players everywhere are thinking as they place their order for Friday night's Mega Millions drawing.
	6:40 am - Tennessee Senator criticizes Lottery vacation, sick leave policy.  For employees of the Tennessee Lottery, it could pay not to get sick.  Employees can build up sick days and be paid for half of the unused ones when they leave.  They earn one day per month, and there's no maximum on how much can be accrued or rolled over from year to year.
	6:20 am - Tennessee Lottery to launch Powerball on April 19.  The eagerly-anticipated Powerball game is rolling into Tennessee in just 12 days, the Tennessee Lottery announced Tuesday.
	3:10 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday Mega Millions drawing, but 8 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 1 in Illinois, 4 in New York, 2 in Ohio, and 1 in Texas.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Tuesday, April 6, 2004

	11:10 pm - Did you sign the Megaplier Petition?  If not, we encourage you to sign the petition and join with those who are asking the Mega Millions Lottery Directors to add the Megaplier to all the Mega Millions states.
	3:40 pm - Ohio Woman Guilty in Mega Millions Case.  A woman who claimed that she bought and lost a $162 million lottery ticket was found guilty Tuesday of filing a false police report.  She was fined $1,000 and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.
	7:20 am - Tennessee lottery puts dent in Southern Kentucky sales.  Kentucky Lottery retailers along the Tennessee border have seen a slowdown in sales since Tennessee's lottery started Jan. 20 with four scratch-off games, and is expected to get worse this summer once Tennessee starts selling popular Powerball tickets.
	Kiosk nets $10,000 for winning Lotto sale.  Customer at the Mall News Stand in Port Richey, Florida hope that lightning will strike twice after news broke that the kiosk sold Saturday's winning $3 million Lotto ticket.
	Georgia bankers claim $19 million Lotto South jackpot.  Sam and Ronnie Deli, two bankers from Suwanee, Georgia, won the Lotto South $19 million jackpot Saturday, according to Georgia Lottery Corp. officials.
	War Dampens Indiana's Hope of International Lottery.  Indiana's hopes of joining an international lottery -- boasting prizes as big as $500 million -- have become a casualty of war.

Monday, April 5, 2004

	2:20 pm - GTech to buy Leeward Islands Lottery.  GTech Holdings Corp., the world's largest lottery systems operator, on Monday said it would acquire a lottery operator based in the Caribbean for $40 million in cash.
	10:00 am - Mega Millions jackpot increases to $90 million.  The jackpot in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery grew to $90 million Saturday.
	9:40 am - Powerball Jackpot Grows to $47 Million.  Because no one correctly matched all six numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing the jackpot grew to an estimated $47 million, with a cash option of $26.1 million.
	7:40 am - $19 million winning Lotto South ticket sold in Georgia.  Officials said a single ticket sold in Suwanee, Georgia matched all six numbers to win the $19 million jackpot in Saturday night's Lotto South drawing.
	Texas Lottery 2003 sales rank in top 10 worldwide.  The Texas Lottery ranks in the top 10 of worldwide lotteries in terms of total sales for the calendar year 2003, according to La Fleur's Magazine, which annually calculates sales of all lotteries around the world.
	7:20 am - Port Richey ticket wins $3 million Florida Lotto jackpot.  One lucky shopper at Gulf View Square Mall matched all six Florida Lotto numbers to win a $3 million jackpot, lottery officials said Sunday.
	7:00 am - Paul, 3 lottery executives paid $300,000 when they quit Georgia jobs.  When Rebecca Paul quit her Georgia job last fall as the nation's highest-paid lottery director to become Tennessee's lottery chief, she left with one final perk — a check for $125,139.

Saturday, April 3, 2004

2:20 am - There was no jackpot winner in the Friday Mega Millions drawing, but 7 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $175,000 prize: 2 in New Jersey, 1 in Georgia, 1 in Massachusetts, 2 in Michigan, and 1 in New York.  For the complete rundown of winners by prize category, see the Winning Combinations page.

Friday, April 2, 2004

	11:05 pm - Hundreds Sign Megaplier Petition; Still Seeking More.  The grass-roots drive to add the Megaplier to all eleven Mega Millions states is still going strong, as lottery players from all over the nation add their names to the petition.  Megaplier.com is operated by Mega Millions players whose sole motivation is to enable all Mega Millions players to have the option to multiply their prizes with the Megaplier.  Editor:  BigGameLottery.com fully supports and endorses the efforts of Megaplier.com, and we would like to see the Megaplier option available to all Mega Millions players.  We encourage all of our visitors to sign the petition.
	7:20 am - $75 Million Mega Millions Drawing Tonight.  Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live $75 million Big Game Mega Millions drawing results!
	Lottery winner waited 50 weeks to pick up $30 million.  Raymond Sobeski waited almost an entire year before coming forward to claim his prize of $30 million because, he says, he didn't want to "do anything rash."
	Woman's love of lottery pays off big.  Marlene Morrisette is a $1 million winner in New Yorks's Win For Life instant lottery game.

Thursday, April 1, 2004

	4:20 pm - Record Mega Millions lottery jackpot claimed by retired truck driver.  Retired truck driver J.R. Triplett is on Easy Street: He stepped forward Thursday to claim a $239 million Mega Millions lottery prize, the second-biggest undivided jackpot in U.S. history.
	7:20 am - Virginia hoping the joke's not on them.  Virginia Lottery officials said yesterday that they believe that the winner of last month's $239 million prize has finally, through a lawyer, come forward and is expected to provide the winning Mega Millions ticket for confirmation today.  On the other hand, maybe someone is playing the ultimate April Fools' joke.
	12:20 am - Mega Millions Winners to Claim $239 Million Jackpot Thursday.  The winners of a record $239 million Mega Millions jackpot have come forward more than a month after the winning ticket was sold, the Virginia Lottery said Wednesday.