Lotteries

If sales of lottery tickets are anything to go by then you would not be mistaken in thinking that Americans enjoy gambling on lotteries. However, they haven’t been doing too well of late. The Powerball jackpot hasn’t been won since August 11 and as for the Mega Millions draw, that jackpot was last won on July 24. The next draw on Tuesday, October 23, has a jackpot of at least $1.6bn (cash option $904m), the largest ever top prize in US Lottery history.

The previous Mega Millions record of $667m was broken in Friday’s $1bn draw. Now the jackpot is a staggering billion dollars higher and is bound to increase before the balls are drawn as the rush for tickets will go into overdrive.

It’s not just beaten the Mega Millions all-time record but now the overall US record. The previous highest ever jackpot was the $1.5bn Powerball jackpot that took place in January 2016 shared by three tickets.

So Close to a Billion Dollars

There was good and bad news for 14 ticket-holders on Friday as they matched the five main balls to all win $1m, while one sold in Texas used the Megaplier option to win $2m.  They all matched the five main numbers but will have to live with the fact that if they had matched the Mega Ball, they would have landed the $1bn Mega Millions jackpot.

Last year, Americans spent $72.97bn on lottery tickets, according to Gallup. That works out at $206.69 per person. CBS News business analyst Jill Schelesinger claims that a lot of players just “take a moment out of their day to consider how to dream big.”

Not surprising as the chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 258.9m. It’s even harder to win the Powerball top prize with odds of 1 in 292.2m and the current jackpot in that draw is $470m.

Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.

History has already been made once this week as Tuesday’s Mega Millions draw had a jackpot of $667m. That was the highest ever jackpot in the history of the Mega Millions lottery, however, the jackpot was not won. The next draw takes place on Friday October 19 and the jackpot will be at least $900m.

Tuesday’s jackpot beat the previous record of $656m in the March 30, 2012 draw. That was shared by three tickets, including one owned by three teachers who became known as ‘The Three Amigos.’ That record went on Tuesday as ticket sales went through the roof.

Ticket Sales Booming

Ticket sales continue to rise and that means the Mega Millions jackpot has reached $900m for Friday’s draw. It’s likely to get higher so the record could be beaten by a quarter of a billion dollars. Another rollover will mean the first ever billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday October 23.

There has only ever been one billion-dollar jackpot in US lottery history. That was in the Powerball draw, when the January 16, 2016 draw had a $1.586bn jackpot and was won by three tickets, including a Californian couple who took six months to claim their winnings.

If one single ticket wins the Mega Millions jackpot, it will be the largest win in US lottery history. The current record win is the $758.7m Powerball jackpot won by Mavis Wanczyk from Massachusetts in the August 23, 2017 draw. All her lucky numbers were between 1-31 and like many players she used birthdays in choosing her numbers.

That method was never going to be successful in the latest Mega Millions draw with the numbers drawn being 03-45-49-61-69 and the Mega Ball 09. The last four draws have seen a maximum of two 1-31 main numbers and the September 28 draw saw the lowest main ball being 39.

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Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.

Last year there were changes made to the USA Mega Millions lottery. The organizers promised there would be higher jackpots as a result and those words have come true. Tuesday’s draw has a $654m jackpot, the second-highest in history.

The changes made saw the number of main balls drop by five and ten more Mega Balls added. To win the jackpot players need to match the main five numbers and the Mega Ball. As a result of the changes, the odds on winning the jackpot rose from 258.9m to 1 to 302.6m to 1.

This is the third time this year the jackpot has gone over $500m. March saw Richard Wahl from New Jersey win the $533m top prize with only the second Mega Millions ticket he ever purchased. Then in July a syndicate of Californian bank workers won $543m and carried on working.

Tonight’s jackpot is just $2m behind the largest ever top prize of $656m that was won in the March 30, 2012 draw, which was shared by three tickets. The only other time that the Mega Millions jackpot has passed $600m was when two tickets shared a $648m jackpot in December 2013. One winner was Steve Tran from California, who spent Christmas not knowing he was a multi-millionaire as he initially forgot he had bought a ticket.

$700m on Friday?

A rollover in this evening’s draw will mean the first ever $700m + Mega Millions jackpot on Friday October 19. Whoever does win has the option of receiving their massive windfall as an annuity with one initial annual payment followed by 29 more each year, with payments increasing by five percent. Alternatively, you can take the one-off cash option, which for this draw is $372m but then there’s tax to pay. For example, the $533m jackpot winner ended up with $175m.

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Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.

Four of the top lottery jackpots just keep on growing and this week the UK Lotto, EuroMillions, Mega Millions and Powerball top prizes are worth over £600m. Three may rollover again, but the UK Lotto jackpot of £26.3m simply must be won on Wednesday.

The search for a massive jackpot win begins on Tuesday October 2 when there’s a £143m (€162m) EuroMillions jackpot. The top prize has kept on climbing since players were unable to win the jackpot in the recent £115m EuroMillions Superdraw held on September 18. Tuesday’s jackpot is the highest of the year, the top win in 2018 has been a £121m prize won by a player from the UK in April. The jackpot will keep rolling over until reaching the €190m cap.

In the USA, the Mega Millions jackpot has risen to $367m after another rollover last Friday. The lowest number in that draw was 39, so any players using birthdays and anniversaries didn’t stand a chance of winning the jackpot.

The other top jackpot in the USA is the Powerball draw and that also has a massive jackpot on Wednesday. Players will be trying to win a top prize of $229m, the highest jackpot since a player from Staten Island in New York won $245.6m playing the Powerball lottery.

UK Lotto Jackpot Win Guaranteed

It’s impossible to predict if those three draws will produce a jackpot winner, but that will happen in Wednesday’s UK Lotto draw. The jackpot has to be won after the £22m cap has been exceeded, though this will change in November with a maximum of five rollovers allowed. Currently, the £26.3m prize has to be won and if no ticket matches the six main numbers, the next successful tier will scoop the jackpot.

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Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.

The EuroMillions jackpot was £40m on Tuesday, September 18, and ended in a rollover. Rather than being increased by just over £10m, Friday’s jackpot will be a massive £115m because it’s a EuroMillions Superdraw.

The special draws take place only occasionally, with the last one taking place in April of this year. This is the 22^nd EuroMillions Superdraw, the first being held in 2007. The first three held all saw the enhanced jackpot won, but the last six have only seen one jackpot won. Previously the EuroMillions jackpot used to be increased to €100m but it is now up to €130m.

The additional jackpot revenue comes from the Booster Fund, which receives 8% of the Common Prize Fund from each regular draw that takes place every Tuesday and Friday.

Another Big UK Winner?

If the EuroMillions jackpot isn’t won, then the top prize will rollover onto the next draw, due to be held on Tuesday September 25. The last EuroMillions Superdraw ended in a rollover and the jackpot was eventually won later in the month, with a ticket sold In the UK winning a massive £121m. If the jackpot does keep rolling over, it will do so until the cap of €190m (currently just over £168m).

That is what happened last year, when the EuroMillions Superdraw, held in September, kept on rolling over and eventually a ticket sold in Spain landed the record €190m EuroMillions jackpot in the draw held on October 6.

Taking a look at numbers drawn out recently here’s a couple of ideas that might make you a multi-millionaire on Friday. Each of the last eight draws have seen a single-digit number drawn out as one of the main balls. 04 has been a popular Lucky Stars, appearing in four of the last six draws.

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Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.

China has been hit by another lottery scandal as the country’s only legal form of gambling once again comes under the corruption spotlight.

Last week the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced that the former director of the China Welfare Lottery Issuance Management Centre, Wang Suying, was being investigated by the ministry’s disciplinary inspection and supervisory departments.

Wang started work at for the welfare lottery in 2008, and eventually became the director of the Management Centre in 2015 before she took retirement May 2017.

She is the fifth lottery official accused of corruption in the past eighteen months. Both her predecessor at the Centre, Bao Xuequan, and Bao’s deputy Wang Yunge, have been kicked out of the Chinese Communist Party for abusing their positions, and two other lottery officials were demoted in 2017.

Misusing lottery funds

Three years ago, the National Audit Office of China revealed that it had discovered evidence of senior lottery officers misusing lottery funds. They estimated that between 2012 and 2014, around 25 percent of the government’s take from lottery proceeds had been appropriated and instead of going towards the support of social causes, had been spent on luxuries by the officials. 

According to Beijing Lawyers Association member Li Wei, a contributing factor to these scandals has been the lack of oversight of how lottery funds are dealt with. This lack of supervision led the government to suspend online lottery sales in 2015. At the time, the Beijing authorities believed that local officials were permitting online lotteries to sell tickets without registering sales figures with the central government, a practice that has now been outlawed.

Beijing has also warned illegal lottery operators and associated host sites that the government is losing patience with the practices of unauthorized lotteries.

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Andie Hughes

Andie Hughes is a UK-based freelance betting and gambling writer with over a decade of experience in the industry, having written for Betfair, ESPN, Boylesports, Sporting Life and various other popular betting sites. Contact Andie at andiehughes73@gmail.com.

A French lottery held last week has successfully raised millions of euros that will be used to pay for the restoration of hundreds of French sites of architectural heritage interest.

Loto du Patrimonie was organised by French historian and television presenter Stephane Bern, who was inspired by the National Lottery in the UK, which sets asides funds for heritage and restoration every year. Bern originally approached then-Presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron last year, who gave the idea his blessing.

The Loto is made up of two games. There are annual prize draw tickets which sell at €3 and offer the chance to win a jackpot of €13 million. In addition, there is an ongoing scratch-card game, which costs €15 a time. Those who buy a ticket stand a one-in-three chance of winning their money back, while big winners can scoop up to €1.5m. Ten percent of the ticket sales go to the restoration fund.

Emblematic

The first draw for the lottery took place on Friday and it has been reported that the total raised is between €15-20 million. The money will be used to pay for the restoration of 269 French heritage sites that are considered to be endangered. The list of 269 was produced from an original shortlist of 2,000 buildings, through a public consultation. Eighteen sites, considered to be ‘emblematic’ will take priority and will be the first to receive lottery funds to begin restoration.

Among the sites to benefit are the home of traveller Pierre Loti in Rochefort, the Roman Gier aqueduct, the medieval Notre Dame church in Celle-Guenand, and the Théâtre des Bleus in Bar-le-Duc, along with Carneville Castle, on the English Channel.

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Andie Hughes

Andie Hughes is a UK-based freelance betting and gambling writer with over a decade of experience in the industry, having written for Betfair, ESPN, Boylesports, Sporting Life and various other popular betting sites. Contact Andie at andiehughes73@gmail.com.

In March 2009 a single ticket belonging to Edward Putman, purchased in Worcestershire, won the £2.5m UK Lotto jackpot. Nine years later, Putman is awaiting trial after being charged with fraud over his big win.

There has been a three-year investigation into the 2009 UK Lotto win after evidence began to surface that the win was a fraudulent claim. The evidence alleged that the UK Lotto winner had colluded with an employee who worked for Camelot who run the National Lottery. However, no action was taken three years ago due to insufficient evidence. The UK Gambling Commission also investigated the case and concluded that “it was more likely than not” that the March 2009 pay-out came as the result of a fraudulent prize claim.

In all the UK Lotto win was £2,525,485, and Mr Putman was soon in trouble with the authorities as he continued to claim unemployment benefits and was sentenced to nine months in jail.

Alleged Insider Dealings

Now he’s going to be back in court and it’s claimed that his Camelot insider identified an unclaimed jackpot, printed a new ticket with the winning numbers, tore off the barcode and gave it to Putman. He then claimed the £2.5m jackpot just days before the ticket was due to expire.

This intriguing story continued to become even more complicated as it’s believed the insider tried to blackmail Putman over the fraudulent claim and later committed suicide.

Camelot, who are due to make changes to the UK Lotto draw in a couple of months’ time said they know about Mr Putman being charged but feel it “wouldn’t be appropriate” for them to comment now charges have been laid. Putman has been bailed to appear at St. Albans Magistrates Court on October 16.

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Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.

More millionaires could be created by the UK National Lottery after changes have been proposed to reverse a fall in sales.

An in-depth review into the National Lottery was held last year after sales dropped 8.8% in 2016/17 compared to the previous year.

From November of this year, matching five of the main balls and the Bonus Ball will win players £1m compared to the £42,672 won for doing that in the August 29 draw. Matching five balls wins at least £1750 and the prize for getting three balls climbs from £25 to £30. The additional funds will come from the ending of the £1m raffle.

Another proposed change will see the jackpot only being allowed to rollover five times compared to the current 10. When it comes to the sixth draw, additional cash will be added to the lower tiers. The minimum jackpot would also rise increasing to £2m on Wednesdays and £3.8m on Saturdays. However, the maximum amount on a rollover would be reduced to £11m on a Wednesday and £12m on Saturdays.

New Game Planned for 2019

Also planned for 2019 is a new “annuity game” jackpot where players could win a four-figure income every single month for an as yet unconfirmed period. Such games are popular in Australia and the USA with players trying their luck in the Set For Life lottery.

Camelot are in the process of getting agreement from their regulator before everything can be confirmed. Chief executive Nigel Railton said: “It was clear from the review that we needed to create a more appealing and balanced range of games that offers something for everyone.”

The last major changes to the UK Lotto draw came three years ago when the number of main balls was increased from 49 to 59.

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Steve Ashfield

Steve Ashfield is a freelance writer who has a wide range of experience covering various aspects of the gambling industry. Over the years he has edited professional wrestling magazines, written horse racing tips, and covered news on a variety of different sports. Contact Steve at ashfieldwritingservices@gmail.com.