Archived Mega Millions and Powerball Lottery News

Friday, December 22, 2000

• 11:15 pm – Congratulations to Francisco Chagas da Costa Freitas of Algiers, Algeria who played The Big Game online at PlayBigGame.com and matched 4 out of the first 5 numbers for a $150 prize!  The winning ticket consisted of numbers selected by the player.
• 7:50 pm – Are you a MacIntosh user?  Certain Mac users have been having trouble using our PlayBigGame.com login screen, and we could use your help to figure out why!  We need Mac users to run a simple test that will send us a small amount of non-personal data.  To run the test, CLICK HERE and then click the Submit button.  Thanks for your help!
• 6:50 am – If you want to play for the $20 million Big Game jackpot online, the order deadline is 2:00 PM Eastern Time today.  Click over to PlayBigGame.com to play.
• Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live Big Game results!

Thursday, December 21, 2000

• 2:30 pm – Net gambling ban falls short again.  Opponents of Internet gambling are evaluating their options after again failing to push a federal ban on online wagering through Congress.  Meanwhile, horse racing interests are quietly celebrating a last-minute legislative maneuver that will allow online betting on the ponies in some states.
• Slowdown hits Las Vegas.  There are signs that the party in Las Vegas is winding down.  Some analysts see that as a harbinger of tougher times for the whole U.S. economy.
• Indian gaming act revision sought.  alling for an overhaul of the Indian gaming industry, Congressman Frank Wolf yesterday urged the incoming Bush administration to "initiate a full-scale reform of the Bureau of Indian Affairs."
• Lottery Sees 2nd Largest Sales Week in Its History for Instants.  Pennsylvania Lottery instant ticket sales made history last week when transactions topped the $13 million mark, probably due to holiday gift-giving.  Editor's note: This was probably before people found out they could give lottery gifts at PlayBigGame.com!
• The Wonderful Wagerers of Oz.  This Wired News article gives some behind-the-scenes information about the world of online gaming at Lasseters Online Casino from central Australia.

Wednesday, December 20, 2000

• 6:00 pm – Check out our improved statistics page!  You can now view statistics for just the recent drawings, ranging from the last 10 drawings through the last 100 drawings.  This is particularly useful if you like the know the hot or cold numbers over different periods of time.
• 4:10 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday drawing, but two lucky players matched the first five numbers for a $150,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey and 1 in Maryland.  See the Winning Combinations page for the complete rundown of winners by prize category.
• You can play for the new $20 million Big Game jackpot online at PlayBigGame.com.

Tuesday, December 19, 2000

• 8:30 am – If you'd like to play The Big Game online, you have until 2:00 PM Eastern Time to play in tonight's $16 million drawing.  Just click over to PlayBigGame.com to place your order or start a subscription.
• Also, don't forget PlayBigGame.com can help with your last-minute holiday shopping!  You can give someone anywhere within the reach of the Internet a Big Game lottery gift, and you don't need to worry about shipping lead-times!  Just place your online order (or subscription order), enter the gift recipient's name and e-mail address, and type a personalized message to go along with your gift.

Monday, December 18, 2000

• 8:00 am – Maryland Lottery Conducts Second Pick 3 Drawing.  In a first-ever for the Maryland Lottery, a second Pick 3 drawing was conducted due to an irregularity discovered following the regular drawing.
• Raymond Silverstein of Toms River, New Jersey recently won a $150,000 prize in the November 28 Big Game drawing.
• Nebiyu Getachew of Alexandria, Virginia also won $150,000 when he matched the first five numbers in the December 8 Big Game drawing.
• British Internet Bookies Look to U.S. for Customers.  Internet bookmakers have begun looking to the U.S. for new customers in an effort to fend off the increasingly cut-throat competition they face at home.
• Congressmen seeking probe of Indian casinos.  Calling the Indian gaming industry corrupt, two members of Congress yesterday called for a congressional investigation into the rapidly expanding $10 billion industry, including the profits taken by some non-Indian casino managers and the process for approving tribes for lucrative gaming privileges.
• Economists Predict Gambling Growth.  With the building boom in mega-resorts over for now, the Las Vegas economy should pull back from the "astronomical levels" of recent years, UNLV's Business and Economic Research center director predicted Thursday.
• Yahoo! drops Net gambling ads.  Yahoo! is removing advertisements for online sports bookmakers after the National Football League threatened to cancel its business with the world's biggest Internet portal.
• Odds are Powerball will roll in September .  Colorado Lottery officials took the first steps Wednesday toward getting Powerball rolling.
• Powerball may start Labor Day.  Odds are that Colorado residents will be able to buy Powerball lottery tickets starting on Labor Day.

Saturday, December 16, 2000

• 2:10 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday drawing, but one lucky player from Illinois matched the first five numbers for a $150,000 prize.  You can find the summary of winners by prize category on the Winning Combinations page.
• Congratulations to Stanley Parker of Waynesboro, Georgia for winning $100 playing The Big Game online at PlayBigGame.com!

Wednesday, December 13, 2000

• 3:30 pm – The Boston Globe has released a comprehensive and informative series of articles about gambling on American Indian reservations entitled Tribal Gamble: The lure and peril of Indian gambling.  The series in its entirety is linked below:
  • Casino boom benefits non-Indians
  • The $800 million deal for outsiders at Mohegan Sun
  • Few tribes share in casino windfall
  • Gaming success helps tribe gain community acceptance
  • California tribes hit the jackpot with gaming vote
  • It's a war of genealogies
  • Lineage questions linger as gaming wealth grows
  • Tribes scramble to get into the game
  • Tribes make easy criminal targets
  • Trump plays both sides in casino bids
• 4:15 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Tuesday drawing, but one lucky New Jersey Big Game player matched the first five numbers for a $150,000 prize.  See the Winning Combinations page for the complete rundown of winners by prize category.
• To play online for Friday's $14 million Big Game jackpot, click over to PlayBigGame.com.

Monday, December 11, 2000

• 11:30 am – Slot Machines Put 'Game' Back in Gaming.  Slot machine makers are raising the stakes on classic family games such as Monopoly, Yahtzee, Clue and Battleship -- but not without controversy, as some claim the new titles may attract teenagers and children.
• Congregation Gives Away $60M Gift.  Read this story to see how a church wrestled with what to do with a $60 million windfall.
• There's only one day left to get in on the $11 million Big Game jackpot!  You can play online at PlayBigGame.com.

Saturday, December 9, 2000

• 6:00 am – There was no jackpot winner in the Friday drawing, but four lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $150,000 prize: 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Michigan, and 2 in Virginia.  See the Winning Combinations page for the complete rundown of winners by prize category.

Friday, December 8, 2000

• 10:50 am – James Baker of Clinton Township, Michigan recently claimed his $150,000 prize for matching the first five numbers in the November 24 Big Game drawing.  Click over to the story for details.
• To play online for today's $9 million Big Game drawing, orders need to be in by 2:00 PM Eastern Time!
• Don't forget to check back with us tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time for the live Big Game drawing results.

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