There was a big Club Keno winner last night. A player at The Sandtrap in Kansas City hit an 8-spot ticket and won $12,768.
Keep Club Keno in mind as you spend time at your favorite sports hangout this weekend. We'll be running games all day long to keep you occupied between buzzers.
Players watching the jackpots on our homepage last week may
have noticed a difference between Mega Millions and Powerball. Both had similar jackpot amounts, but the
advertised cash prizes were different by $15 million. Observant players asked the question – why
the difference between advertised cash values?
It turns out, there's not an easy answer to that question, but only because it deals with differences in procedure.
The biggest difference between the two games is the length of the annuity option which determines jackpot amounts. Mega Millions pays out jackpots in 26 annual payments during 25 years, while Powerball uses 30 annual payments during 29 years. Mega Millions uses fixed payment amounts, which requires more cash on hand to purchase the long-term bonds. Powerball uses graduated payments – payments that increase over time – and thus can fund their advertised jackpots with less cash on hand. In both situations, all of the cash on hand in the jackpot fund will go to a winner selecting the lump-sum payment.
The difference really showed last week. The Powerball jackpot was $139 million, with
a cash value of more than $67 million, while the Mega Millions jackpot was $133
million, with a cash value of more than $82 million. The Powerball jackpot was generated by eight
drawings, while the Mega Millions jackpot grew to that size in 10. It should be noted that the jackpots start at different amounts as well.
As a general rule, the cash value of a jackpot game is about half of the advertised jackpot. It is the actual cash on hand to pay the jackpot prize. The jackpots are determined by projecting the payment during a period of 25 or 29 years by investing the cash on hand. Regardless of the difference in years, the player is getting all of the cash available in the game's jackpot fund.
I don't know if spring has sprung, but the winner bucket apparently sprung a leak this weekend. Someone in New Jersey won the $211 million Powerball jackpot, and two players in other states won $1 million using Power Play. In Missouri, six tickets matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball to win $10,000. Two of those tickets were sold at BJ's Kwik Shop in Dexter, and one player multiplied the prize into $50,000 using Power Play. The other four winning tickets were sold at the following locations:
Congratulations to all the winners.
There was no jackpot winner in last night's Powerball drawing, although a player in Pennsylvania did win $1 million with Power Play. In Missouri, four players matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball to win $10,000. The first three tickets were sold at the following locations:
The fourth ticket added Power Play and bumped the prize to $20,000. That ticket was sold at Circle K, 11011 Bellefontaine, in St. Louis.
The jackpot for Saturday has grown to $200 million! Remember, buying multiple tickets does not significantly increase your chances of winning. Good luck!
There were two winning tickets sold for last night's Show Me Cash drawing. A ticket sold in St. Louis and a ticket sold in Kansas City matched all five Show Me Cash numbers and the two ticketholders will split the jackpot. Each of the tickets sold at the following locations is worth $105,093:
Tonight's drawing features an estimated $170 million Powerball jackpot, and don't forget about Lotto. The state game has much better odds, and the jackpot has grown to an estimated $3.6 million. Good luck!
This week is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week. The Missouri Lottery is a charter member of the Missouri Alliance to Curb Problem Gambling. Together with our partners, it is our goal to recognize that a percentage of citizens have a problem with gambling and work to limit the negative impact. In addition to funding free help for Missourians who struggle with gambling addiction, the Alliance also strives to raise awareness of the resources available, the goal of this week's designation.
If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, call toll-free, 1-888-Bets Off, or visit the Web site.
The first drawing in the "Gadget Giveaway" promotion is complete. The unofficial winners list has been posted here. If you were one of the 200 winners to receive $100 cash, simply present your Bonus Raffle ticket at a retail location to collect your prize. Grand, first- and second-prize winners must present their Bonus Raffle ticket to the Lottery for validation.
Bonus Raffle tickets for the second drawing are already being issued this week. Just buy a $1 or greater Pick 3 or Pick 4 ticket for the current drawing to gain entry into the promotion. Congratulations, and good luck!
Mega Millions got hit in California, and although no one hit the Powerball jackpot, a player in Idaho did win $1 million using Power Play. In Missouri, several players won big. A player in Lee's Summit matched all five white-ball numbers to win $200,000. The winning ticket was sold at Meiners Market.
Two other players matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball to win $10,000. One ticket was sold at Judy's Place in Lawson. The other, sold at Northside Convenience in Marshall, used Power Play to multiply that prize into $20,000.
Powerball is still on a run. Wednesday's jackpot is an estimated $170 million! Huge jackpots are exciting, but remember, it only takes a dollar (or two with Power Play) to win.
No big jackpot winners last night, although a player in North Carolina won $1 million with Power Play. In Missouri, one player matched five white-ball numbers in Powerball to win $200,000. The winning ticket was sold at Thoele Convenience Store, 403 Mid Rivers Mall Dr., in St. Peters.
The jackpots for this weekend are out of sight! Play Mega Millions Friday for an estimated $133 million, or Powerball Saturday for an estimated $139 million!
Maybe you've never played Pick 3 or Pick 4 before. Maybe $600 or $6,000 doesn't sound like much money. But those prizes are available in drawings twice a day for simply picking 3 or 4 numbers between 0 and 9. It could be your street address, your IQ, your wedding date or even random numbers.
During March, we're sweetening the deal for you to play Pick 3 and Pick 4. For every $1 or greater Pick 3 or Pick 4 single-ticket purchase for the current drawing between March 1 and March 28, you will receive a Bonus Raffle ticket for the Gadget Giveaway. In each of four drawings, we'll award cash and prizes to winners selected from the Bonus Raffle numbers issued that week.
Check out the fabulous prizes and learn more about the promotion here. Then consider buying a ticket for Pick 3 or Pick 4. There are lots of ways to win. What are your numbers?
As we turn the corner into spring, winners weren't the only ones seeing sunshine this past weekend. Although, there were rays of hope from just about every game the Missouri Lottery has to offer.
There were a number of big Club Keno winners. Last Thursday, someone hit Club Keno for nearly $11,000 at the American Legion in Poplar Bluff. Another player hit a similar prize of Saturday at Bottoms Up in Lexington. Then, on Sunday, a player at the VFW on Midland in St. Louis won $5,000.
March is a popular time for gathering and watching sports with friends. Consider adding Club Keno to your entertainment.
There was a Show Me Cash winner Friday night. The 77th jackpot awarded in this game will go to someone who shops at Sappington Farmers Market in St. Louis. The ticket is worth more than $98,000!
If you buy Powerball tickets at Philmart on Main Street in Salem, check them closely. A ticket matching four white-ball numbers and the Powerball sold there is worth $10,000.
Both jackpots for Powerball and Mega Millions are more than $100 million! Remember, it only takes $1 to win! Good luck!
Drawing #2 of the "Wheel of Fortune®" second-chance promotion is complete. The unofficial winners list is posted here.
There were more than 52,000 entries for this drawing, of which about 85 percent were entered online. The third and final drawing takes place on April 8, with the final entry deadline of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30. Keep playing those 'Wheel of Fortune®" Scratchers tickets and be sure to enter the non-winning tickets into the promotion. Several top prizes remain in the game.
Good luck.
There have been a couple of big winners this week so far. On Tuesday, one player matched four white-ball numbers and the Megaball® and won $10,000. The winning ticket was purchased at Break Time, 1300 Highway 72, in Rolla.
Another player hit it big on Club Keno last night. A ticket sold at the Pine Room in St. Charles won almost $23,000!
Keep an eye on Mega Millions and Powerball this weekend. The respective jackpots are $99 million and $95 million.
Are you ready for some gadgets? We've got a great promotion in March featuring prizes like an HDTV, an iPod® Touch, a Wii® Console and even cash! Pick 3 and Pick 4 players will receive a Bonus Raffle ticket for every $1 or greater Pick 3 or Pick 4 single-ticket purchase for the current drawing between March 1 and March 28. Hold on to that ticket for one of four weekly drawings where winners will be selected from the Bonus Raffle numbers issued that week. Each week, we'll choose one grand-prize winner of a Panasonic 1080p Plasma HDTV, 10 first-prize winners of an Apple iPod® Touch, 25 second-prize winners of a Wii® Console and 200 winners of $100 cash! All just for playing your favorite Pick 3 and Pick 4 numbers.
Visit the promotion page for more information, and good luck!
Monday was a big day for Pick 3 players. The Midday Pick 3 winning combination was 5-5-5. Triples are frequently played, and today's combination nearly broke the bank. We paid out prizes totaling more than $325,000, which was about 397 percent of sales.
Congratulations to all the lucky players.
What a weekend for Missouri Lottery players. There was a Show Me Cash winning jackpot ticket sold at Just 1 More in Odessa. Some lucky player will collect the $60,000 prize.
Two Powerball tickets matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball to win $10,000. The tickets were sold at the following locations:
Two players hit it big playing Club Keno. A ticket sold at George's Steak House in Springfield won more than $25,000. Another ticket sold at Kross Lounge in Sugar Creek won more than $5,000.
Looking for a game to play tonight? Try Show Me Cash with an estimated jackpot of $55,000!
Wednesday was a good day for Missouri Lottery players. Someone in St. Louis won more than $107,000 playing Show Me Cash. The winning ticket was sold at Pooh's Corner Bar & Grill on Virginia Ave.
Another player picked up $10,000 playing Powerball. A ticket sold at Amerimart in Malden matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball.
Two players scored big playing Club Keno. A ticket sold at Jefferson Avenue Bistro in St. Louis won more than $7,000, and another ticket sold at the Eagles lodge in High Ridge won more than $5,000.
There's no time to rest. You can play Mega Millions tonight for an estimated $68 million jackpot.
