MO Lottery Blog

On the calendar

The calendar winners have been selected.  You'll have to wait 'til the calendar comes out to see the incredible photos we've chosen, but you can find the list of winners here. 

After today's deadline, there's only one week left to enter the "Take It Home II" second-chance promotion.  Get those entries in.

I'll also use this time to tease some big events this fall.  We have a number of special promotions happening later this year, so keep your eyes open.  Thanks for playing, and have a great holiday weekend. 

It's growing

One player matched four white-ball numbes and the Powerball to win $10,000 in the Aug. 27 drawing.  That person bought the winning ticket at Break Time on Old 63 South in Columbia. 

The Powerball jackpot continues to grow.  The estimated jackpot for Aug. 30 is $72 million. Does that have your attention yet? 

Hot air

Residents of central Missouri had a chance to attend an exciting hot air balloon event last weekend.  The 2008 Columbia Balloon Invitational was labeled a success by local authorities.  Estimates put the number of attendees at 30,000. 

There something visually invigorating about watching hot air balloons fly - which is why the Missouri Lottery sponsors a balloon team that competes in events like last weekend.  In addition to a race, events usually include a night flame, where tethered balloons fire the tanks to illuminate the balloon against the night sky.  It's pretty cool seeing the Lottery logo in brilliant color. 

The Missouri Lottery balloon team informed us Monday that they placed first out of 26 balloon teams that participated in the 2008 Columbia Balloon Invitational.  We're proud of our team, and excited that we'll return next year as defending champions. 

If you're looking for something to do this upcoming holiday weekend, the Missouri Lottery balloon team will be at another event in north Missouri - The Great Pershing Balloon Derby in Brookfield.  Visit here for more information.  And keep watching the skies for the Missouri Lottery. 

Enter each week

Rob had a good question about our current second-chance promotion.  He wanted to know if his entries would be good for each drawing.  The way the "Take It Home II" promotion is structured is only entries received between the weekly deadlines will be included in that week's drawing for the $10,000 and $1,000 prizes.  At the end of the promotion, all of the entries will be included for the grand-prize drawing. That's why it's important to enter each week.  The next deadline is 5 p.m. on Aug. 29.  For drawing #2, which took place last Friday, there were more than 24,000 entries, which gave players considerably better odds than drawing #1.  Will you be entering this week? 

Where it's at

Some big winners on Powerball over the weekend.  Two players matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball to win $10,000.  Those tickets were purchased at the following locations: 

• Lanton Crossroads in West Plains

• Potosi C-Store on High Street in Potosi

Another player matched all five white-ball numbers and used Power Play to multiply their winnings to $600,000!  That lucky player bought the ticket at Fas-Trip in Sullivan.

 

The Powerball jackpot for Aug. 27 is now an estimated $62 million.

Deadline #3

The third deadline in the "Take It Home II" second-chance promotion is 5 p.m. on Aug. 22.  We'll also conduct the second drawing that afternoon.  The winners from the first drawing are now official.  You can check those results here.  The breakdown on entry methods was about 72 percent Web and 28 percent mail or drop-off entries.  There were more than 56,000 entries for drawing number one. 

Where it's at

Five players matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball in Wednesday's drawing.  The first four tickets won $10,00 and were sold at the following locations: 

• Whistle Stop in Sullivan
• Kum & Go on 425 West Bypass in Springfield
• South Public Market on Broadway in St. Louis
• C&R Supermarket in Fayette

The fifth player used Power Play to multiply their winnings to $20,000.  That person bought their ticket at QuikTrip on Jackson in Ozark. 

The Powerball jackpot for Aug. 23 is an estimated $52 million.  Good luck.

Where it's at

Three players matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball to win $10,000 Saturday night.  The winning tickets were purchased at the following locations: 

• QuikTrip on Lilac Dr. in St. Louis
• Hampton Oil on Hampton in St. Louis
• Rundy's Hideout in Reeds Spring

The jackpot for Aug. 20 is an estimated $43 million. 

One player from last Wednesday matched four white-ball numbers and the Powerball number, but added Power Play and multiplied that win by four to bring home $40,000.  That ticket was purchased at QuikTrip on Woods Chapel Road in Lee's Summit. 

Mythbuster

There are a lot of myths in regard to state lotteries, one of which is the belief that they are fixed.  Actually, state-run lotteries were the key to busting the parlor games of old that were stacked against the player.  That's one of the Top Ten Myths about Lottery as published by the Public Gaming Research Institute.

The state lottery industry is one of the most scrutinized industries that ever existed.  Security has always been of highest priority in selling lottery products and in conducting lottery drawings.  A high level of security and public drawings are what separate state lotteries from, and sets them above, numbers games sold on the streets. 

Deadline #2

Friday, Aug. 15, is the second deadline in the "Take It Home II" second-chance promotion.  Make sure to have your entries in by 5 p.m.  It is also the date for the first drawing to be conducted.  Winners will be posted by late afternoon on the promotion page.  Good luck.