In April, Casino.org reported rumblings first revealed by LotteryGeeks.com that the Mega Millions Consortium was mulling a substantial ticket price surge.

The proposed changes to Mega Millions are scheduled for April 8, 2025.

Mega Changes?

While the Mega Millions Consortium is staying quiet on the rumored gameplay changes, the Texas Lottery’s proposed rule adjustments suggest the price for a basic ticket will increase from $2 to $5 next April.

The $1 add-on Megaplier is also set to terminate. The Megaplier allows tickets that won non-jackpot prizes to double, triple, quadruple, or quintuple their payout.

Along with drawing five white balls and a gold Mega Ball, the current Mega Millions drawings on Tuesday and Friday nights include a Megaplier draw that comes up on 2x, 3x, 4x, and 5x. The Megaplier pool of 15 balls includes five marked 2x, six 3x, three 4x, and one 5x.

States that offer the Just the Jackpot option, which provides players two chances to win the jackpot for $3 but no lower-tier prizes, is also slated to expire. The Just the Jackpot is presently offered in 14 states — Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The number of gold Mega Balls is set to be reduced from 25 to 24. That will slightly improve the players’ odds of one in 302.57 million in hitting the jackpot. The Mega Ball reduction would also improve the overall odds of winning a prize, as the gold ball is used in determining five lower-tier prizes.

The game changes are anticipated to generate increased interest by offering players the potential for larger jackpots, improved chances of winning through improved overall odds, improved chances of winning the jackpot prize through improved jackpot prize odds, and a new embedded multiplier feature that offers players the chance to increase non-jackpot prizes up to ten times,” the Texas Lottery explanation read.

The Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday, September 10, is an estimated $800 million. The one-time cash option is $401.8 million.

Mega Backlash

Powerball, Mega Millions’ primary competitor, could be the big winner if Mega Millions goes through with the aforementioned changes. Our April coverage of the proposed ticket price increase from $2 to $5, a 150% surge, generated stern feedback, with nearly all of the comments in opposition.

I play a ticket in every Mega Millions and Powerball drawing. I will no longer play Mega Millions if this is true,” commented Lou on the $5 rumors.

“Mega Millions is drunk with delusion thinking they can get away with a $5 basic price to play,” added Eddie.

“I would only pay $5 if the jackpot was over a billion,” said Bob. “This could actually save me money.”

The post Mega Millions to Increase Ticket Price, Ditch Megaplier and Just the Jackpot Options appeared first on Casino.org.

The Mega Millions drawing for Friday, Sept. 6, resulted in no jackpot winners. It marked the game’s 27th consecutive drawing without a ticket matching the six winning numbers.

Tuesday’s $800 million prize trails only seven Mega Millions jackpots won that were each in excess of 10 digits. At $800 million, the jackpot ranks as the 13th-richest in U.S. history.

Top Mega Millions Jackpots

• $1.602B — 8/8/2023 — 1-FL
• $1.537B — 10/23/2018 — 1-SC
• $1.348B — 1/13/2023 — 1-ME
• $1.337B — 7/29/2022 — 1-IL
• $1.128B — 3/26/2024 — 1-NJ
• $1.05B — 1/22/2021 — 1-MI
• $800M — 9/10/2024 — ?
• $656M — 3/30/2012 — 3-IL, KS, MD
• $648M — 12/17/2013 — 2-CA, GA
• $552M — 6/4/2024 — 1-IL

Friday Night Highlights

Though the jackpot dodged players on Friday, the night wasn’t a total loss, as six tickets matched all five white balls but not the gold Mega Ball to claim Mega Millions’ second-tier prize of $1 million. One of those gameplays purchased the optional $1 add-on Megaplier that doubled their win to $2 million after the Megaplier landed on 2x.

Forty-nine tickets matched four white balls and the gold Mega Ball to win $10,000. Ten of those plays had the Megaplier to double their prize to $20,000. More than 1,000 tickets hit four of the five white balls for $500 prizes, with 223 including the Megaplier.

In total, 1,699,484 tickets won a prize during the Friday drawing. Approximately 1.12 million of those tickets matched the Mega Ball to win back their $2 bet.?

Mega Millions Anniversary

Friday night marked the 28th anniversary of Mega Millions. Though the game originated as The Big Game when it was first drawn on Friday, Sept. 6, 1996, the interstate lottery operation has consistently run ever since.

The original six participating lotteries 28 years ago were Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Virginia. The Mega Millions logo with the gold Mega Ball displaying six stars represents the original six participating lotteries. Today, Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The game was most recently overhauled in October 2017 when the price to play was doubled to $2 and the number of Mega Balls was increased from 15 to 25. The number of white balls was reduced from 75 to 70, which led some to think that hitting the jackpot might be easier.

The opposite was true, as the jackpot’s odds lengthened from one in 258.89 million to one in 302.57 million.

The post Mega Millions Hits 28 Years, But Doesn’t Celebrate With Jackpot appeared first on Casino.org.

No Mega Millions ticket has matched the five white balls and gold Mega Ball since June 4 when a ticket sold in Illinois claimed a $552 million jackpot. There have been 26 drawings since, with tens of millions of tickets sold, without a single one matching the night’s six winning numbers.

The one-time cash option is an estimated $366.3 million. Both amounts are before a federal tax of 37%, the top tax bracket, and possibly state income taxes.

The lump sum if chosen would immediately be reduced by $135.5 million to approximately $230.8 million.

Number Frequency?

Most Mega Millions and Powerball players use the quick pick function to select their ticket numbers. But data suggests you might improve your odds ever so slightly by taking the time to carefully pick your six numbers.

According to USA Mega, an online database that tracks Powerball and Mega Millions draws, wins, and lottery news, the white Mega Millions Nos. 3 and 10 are drawn more often than any other number in the 90-ball pool.

Based on 715 Mega Millions drawings dating back to Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, the Nos. 3 and 10 were each drawn 67 times, or 9.37% of the total draws. No. 10 was most recently drawn on Aug. 30. No. 3 was last drawn on July 23.

The No. 17 has been drawn the next most at 64, or 8.95% of the time. Nos. 14 and 31 were drawn 62 times, or 8.67%, to rank tied for fourth.

The No. 24 Mega Ball has come up 36 times, or 5.03%, and the No. 18 Mega Ball was drawn 35 times, or 4.9%.

On the other end, the white No. 49 ball has been the unluckiest Mega Millions ball. The 49 has been pulled just 36 times, or 1.01%. Other unlucky white balls include Nos. 50, 35, 65, and 51. As for Mega Balls, No. 23 has been drawn the least at just 20 times or 2.8%.

For a full breakdown of the Mega Millions statistics, click here.

Lottery Probability

Some lottery players after examining the Mega Millions statistics might be inclined to pick the numbers that have been drawn the least in the thinking that those numbers are due. But mathematicians say there’s no science or strategy in picking lottery numbers.

Nick Kapoor, a mathematics professor at Connecticut’s Fairfield University, explains that nothing in the past or future affects an individual lottery drawing event. He says even utilizing the aforementioned Mega Millions chart showing which numbers are drawn more often improves one’s odds of winning the jackpot by 0.0001 to 0.00002%.

It’s still very, very improbable,” Kapoor said. ?

The post As Mega Millions Grows, Here Are the Most Commonly Drawn Numbers appeared first on Casino.org.

The Virginia Lottery recently disclosed that it sold a record $5.521 billion in tickets during its 2024 fiscal year that ended June 30. Ticket sales surged almost 20% from $4.612 billion in 2023.

Lottery officials told the Lottery Post, an online news site focused on the U.S. lottery industry, that more than $3 billion of the sales came online. About $2.45 billion originated at brick-and-mortar lottery retailers.

The Virginia Lottery debuted internet games and ticket sales on July 1, 2020. Virginia Lottery spokesperson John Hagerty said annual internet sales have increased in each of the past four years to a record high in the 2024 fiscal year.

Online lottery gaming is legal in only nine states — Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Washington, DC, allows iLottery, too. Massachusetts is readying to launch its online lottery market late next year.

Virginia is the first iLottery jurisdiction to report higher annual online sales than in-person purchases. While the online numbers might be concerning for lottery retailers, Hagerty said in-person sales have grown in line with internet increases. The Virginia Lottery has roughly 5,300 businesses that serve as in-person lottery retailers.

Public Benefit

The Virginia Lottery primarily benefits K-12 public education. The lottery generates approximately $2.3 million per day for public schools.

Since the Virginia Lottery’s debut in 1999, lottery profits to the tune of more than $13.6 billion have gone to support primary and secondary public education. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) celebrated the lottery’s latest fiscal performance.

Over the course of my administration, we have been able to achieve record funding for K-12 education, allowing for increased opportunities in the classroom,” Youngkin said. “I am so thrilled these record profits will help provide the necessary support and resources for Virginia’s students.”

About 10% of Virginia’s K-12 education budget comes from Virginia Lottery profits. The $5.5 billion in FY24 game sales led to a record lottery profit of more than $934 million. ??

$1M Wedding Gift

One recent Virginia Lottery winner who won $1 million on Cash4Life during the Aug. 3 drawing is using the money to get his son out of his basement.

Andrews’ father’s luck in overcoming the one in more than 7.28 million odds gave him the option of collecting $1,000 a week for life or taking a one-time cash option of $1 million. The elder Andrews chose the $1 million pre-tax option and gifted the money to his son.

I have a great father who has done nothing but look out for me,” Aaron told the Virginia Lottery while redeeming the ticket last week. “This was the best way to get him out of the basement,” his dad said jokingly.

Along with the $1 million cash being subjected to a federal tax of 37%, Virginia taxes lottery winnings at 5.75%. After taxes, the younger Andrews will keep about $572,500.

The post Virginia Lottery Online Sales Outpaced Retail in 2024 Fiscal Year, a First in U.S. History appeared first on Casino.org.

Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing at 11 p.m. ET from the Georgia Lottery’s draw studio in Atlanta comes with an advertised jackpot of $575 million. That ranks No. 9 on the Mega Millions top jackpots list.

The August 27 annuitized jackpot features a one-time cash option of an estimated $285.5 million. Both prizes are before federal, and possibly, state taxes.

However, the likelihood of a jackpot being won improves slightly as more tickets are sold because more possible number combinations of the 302,575,350 unique sequences are covered.

During the Mega Millions August 23 drawing, two tickets matched all five white balls for $1 million prizes. One of those tickets purchased the optional $1 Megaplier, which tripled the payout to $3 million after the Megaplier landed on 3x.

Slow Year

Of the many millions of Mega Millions tickets sold this year, only two have matched their drawing’s six winning numbers.

On June 4, a ticket sold in Illinois won an annuitized jackpot worth $552 million — the 10th largest Mega Millions prize in the game’s history.

Mega Millions debuted in 1996 as The Big Game. It rebranded to The Big Game Mega Millions before assuming its current identity in 2003.

Because Mega Millions’ jackpot odds are longer than rival Powerball’s jackpot odds of approximately one in 292.2 million, Mega Millions has grown more jackpots upwards of $1 billion. Since 2018, Mega Millions has produced six jackpots greater than $1 billion.

Powerball has produced five 10-digit, before-tax jackpots, including the nation’s all-time largest, a $2.04 billion bounty won by a player in California in 2022.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2, with most participating jurisdictions providing an optional $1 add-on Megaplier that allows winning tickets to multiply their nonjackpot prizes.

Texas on Notice

Along with hyping its $575 million jackpot for Tuesday night’s drawing, Mega Millions officials are telling players in Texas to check their previous plays. A winning ticket from the March 19 drawing worth $1 million is approaching its expiration date of Sunday, September 15.

The lucky player who purchased the ticket didn’t opt for the $1 Megaplier, which would have doubled the win to $2 million.

The post Mega Millions Jackpot Enters Record Territory, Next Drawing Tonight appeared first on Casino.org.

From now on, requests from vendors for large quantities of processing equipment will be referred to the Texas Lottery’s executive director for closer investigation, especially when those vendors have no previous record of selling large numbers of tickets.

State Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) said that the integrity of the lottery was “lost in the process” as a result of the jackpot win.

Jackpot Exploited

After 93 rollovers, the April 22, 2023 lottery draw was one of those rare occasions when the game becomes mathematically exploitable. The jackpot stood at $95 million, which meant that buying up every possible combination of numbers – or 25.8 million tickets at a dollar a ticket – would all but guarantee not only the jackpot but most of the other prizes as well. And that’s exactly what the mysterious syndicate did.

Because the prize was $57.8 million after taxes, the syndicate knew it was looking at a likely $22 million profit from the jackpot alone.

Even if it were unlucky enough to share the first prize with another winner, it would still make a profit of around $3 million. That’s before you consider the additional prizes, which it would be more likely to share with other winners.

A three-way split would have been a disaster, but that was an unlikely outcome and a risk worth taking for the syndicate.

The real problem was logistical. How do you go about buying 25.8 million tickets for a draw that typically only sells one to two million tickets per week? According to the state legislature, it was all way too easy.

Lottery ‘Collaborated’ in Scheme

All of the tickets bought up by the syndicate were processed at just four outlets, three of which had sold no tickets at all in the months leading up to the draw, according to an investigation by The Houston Chronicle.

That meant each outlet needed to order enough equipment from the Texas Lottery to process millions of tickets in the three days between the draws. The state agency was only too happy to oblige.

State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) accused the agency of “collaborating” with a “group of sophisticated players.”

“A significant percentage of lottery sales in Texas is to lower-income individuals, and I think they were taken advantage of,” he said, as reported by The Chronicle.

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The furor began when one of the residents, Alan Way, sued his neighbors, Mark Peter Bowling, 76, and Mota Posa, 89, asserting he had been part of a lottery syndicate with the two defendants. He was cut out of the money when the syndicate hit big, he claimed.

The defendants argued Way had left the syndicate almost a year before the win and after the trio had a major falling out.

Cooking the Books

On Friday, Justice James Hmelnitsky agreed with the defendants that Way wasn’t a member of the syndicate at the time of the win, nor had he contributed financially to the purchase of the ticket.

Hmelnitsky also indicated that the plaintiff had falsified diary entries that purported to record regular expenditures of $20 per month into the syndicate at the time of the win on Aug. 22, 2020.

“I am persuaded to a relatively high level of certainty that those entries were not made contemporaneously,” Hmelnitsky told the court, as reported by Australia’s Daily Telegraph. “That being so, I am unable to accept Mr Way’s evidence that he contributed to the purchase of the winning ticket.”

Neither Way nor Barry wore facemasks at a time when strict social distancing measures were in force to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to court documents.

Despite the falling out, Bowling still transferred $200K to Way as a “gift.” At that time, the latter wasn’t aware of the full extent of the winnings and only learned of it later from another resident. This led to a heated exchange that caused Bowling and Posa to move out of the residence. Way sued them shortly afterward.

Criminal Syndicates

Lottery syndicates are a great way for players to increase their chances of winning while sharing risk and reward, allowing them to participate in more draws with more tickets for the same money they would typically spend on a single ticket. But when players fall out over a big win, things can quickly turn ugly.

His colleagues discovered the deception when the lottery company sent him a congratulatory bottle of champagne to toast his winnings. But they used the very courier company Baron used to work for, and the bottle was delivered to him by a member of the syndicate.

Baron was eventually forced to settle with his former colleagues.

The post Aussie Seniors’ Feud Over $5M Lottery Payout Resolved in Court appeared first on Casino.org.

The adorable attack affected at least seven billboards across the state, which were designed to display the current Powerball Jackpot prize and not animated kittens, local CBS affiliate KOIN 6 reported.

Images posted on social media showed lottery billboards in Portland displaying a GIF-style animation of two cartoon cats hugging surrounded by love hearts.

Random Cats

Lottery spokesperson Melanie Mesaros said Thursday that not all LED screens were affected and that the cats seemed to appear in random locations. She added that the lottery wasn’t responsible for the fluffy invasion, but it was working with its vendor to “resolve an issue related to the digital display on our billboards.”

Images uploaded to @SH_4RK’s X timeline by his followers show that the artwork was spotted not just on lottery billboards but on LED screens in states across the US at around the same time. @SH_4RK’s replies to these posts suggest the artist was surprised to see his work displayed on the billboards.

‘Global Issue’

Mesaros confirmed to KOIN 6 that it was a “global issue for the vendor Daktronics, which operates the LED screens.”

The billboards are paid for by the Lottery but owned by Dalles City, Oregon-based company Meadow Outdoor Advertising. Meadow manager Betsy Hege also passed the blame onto Daktronics.

Full digital screens are the responsibility of the owner operator, but the LEDs like this are controlled by the client,” Hege said. ?“We all work hard to prevent hacks and have protocols should it happen. We will have a good debrief with the Lottery and Daktronics to understand what happened.”

Hege added that Meadow was “saddened that our signs were displaying the furry image.”

Daktronics told Casino.org:? “We were made aware of a limited number of locations where unknown content had been displayed. This issue applies only to specific hardware devices that were accessible publicly on the Internet (not properly protected by firewalls or within a VPN network). The issue is not widespread. We addressed impacted customer accounts and continue to actively monitor those locations.”

The post Oregon Lottery Billboards Hacked with Cute Furry Animals appeared first on Casino.org.

He earned $100, and was excited for the cash. But the 53-year-old Macomb County resident admitted he was “bummed” he didn’t hit the big jackpot.

He tried his luck again the following day for the same game. He hit all of the winning numbers for the July 27 drawing: 02-05-17-21-30.

After the drawing, he got an email from the lottery. It said he won $1.

“I thought that was all I’d won, until another email came through telling me to log into my account to claim my prize,” the unnamed man recalled in a statement released last week.

When I logged in and saw $795,905 pending, my first thought was that it was a scam. Now, that I am at the lottery office claiming my prize, it’s starting to hit me that this is real.”

He had purchased the ticket online from the MichiganLottery.com website.

The lucky winner plans to invest his jackpot.

Fantasy 5 Is Favorite

He explains that he likes to play the Michigan lottery’s Fantasy 5 game.

I always buy Fantasy 5 tickets if the jackpot is over $250,000,” he said. “I usually buy my tickets in-store, but the night of the drawing I realized I’d forgotten to buy some, so I logged onto MichiganLottery.com and bought two.”

A Fantasy 5 game is $1. For an additional $1, EZmatch is added so players can win up to $500. For $1 more per play, Double Play is added, giving players a second chance, to win up to $110,000 in the nightly Double Play drawing.

Fantasy 5 players select five numbers between 1 and 39. Players who match all five numbers win at least $100K.

Fantasy 5 drawings are held seven days a week at 7:29 p.m.

Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli points out that the online option gives players a convenient way to play when they can’t get to a retailer.

Powerball Win

Michigan saw a huge win earlier this year. On New Year’s Day, a single Powerball ticket sold in Michigan matched the five drawn white balls and the red Powerball.

A Michigan trio won an $842.4M jackpot. The winners remain anonymous but revealed they are part of a “Breakfast Club.”

They got the ticket on Jan. 1 at the Food Castle in Grand Blanc, Mich., some 60 miles north of Detroit.

The post Michigan Lottery Player Loses Jackpot By One Number, Then Wins $800K The Next Day appeared first on Casino.org.

Utah is one of just two states, along with Hawaii, where all forms of gambling are illegal, including church raffles. The constitutional ban on gambling has existed since Utah was granted statehood in 1896. That’s largely down to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members account for just over half of Utah’s population and which opposes gambling as “spiritually destructive.”

Utahans Spend $200M

But Birkeland is undeterred. She says Utahans spend $200 million a year on lottery tickets in neighboring states. If this money were redirected to Utah, it could mean lower taxes, she argues.

And by legalizing the lottery in certain border counties only, she would be stopping Utahans from crossing the border to buy tickets.

[It means] you don’t have people in the heart of Salt Lake City or wherever else, just walking down the street to a convenience store, buying a lottery ticket. It still creates a little bit of a work to get there,” Birkeland told Fox 13 Salt Lake City.

The plan would exclude many of the state’s most populous cities like Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber, as well as counties on the entire western state line, which borders Nevada. Casino interests in America’s gambling capital have long kept a Nevada lottery at bay. All counties that border Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona would be eligible to opt in.

Big “If”

“There’s still those saying that this is, you know, really going to decay morally our state, and to them, I just hope that this compromise is showing again we’re not changing behaviors, we’re just capturing those same behaviors within our state limits,” Birkeland said.

Birkeland will file the proposed amendment at the 2025 session of the Utah State Legislature. If it passes – and that’s a big “if” — voters would get to decide the issue in November 2026.

The post Utah Lottery Would be Legal in Certain Counties Under New Proposal appeared first on Casino.org.

The move, which has long been mooted in Boston, will “allow the lottery to keep pace with its competition and reach a new audience,” according to Massachusetts State Lottery Commission Chair Deborah Goldberg. A portion of the revenues from the online lottery will, by law, go toward supporting the state’s early education and care programs.

The “competition” Goldberg refers to is sports betting, which Massachusetts legalized in August 2022. Lottery officials have in the past expressed concern that the state’s new online sports betting market will eat into lottery revenues.

Equal Footing

Lottery Executive Director Mark Bracken told MassLive Monday that transferring the lottery online and introducing new products like instant-win tickets will place it on an equal footing with sportsbook operators.

While the age requirement for retail lottery games will remain 18, players will have to be at least 21 to play online, as is the legal age for sports betting.

The Massachusetts Lottery’s fears of cannibalization from sports betting have proved to be unfounded thus far. In 2023, the first year it experienced competition from online sportsbooks, the lottery posted a record profit of $1.17 billion on revenues of over $6 billion. The online platform is expected to pull in another $100 million a year.

Supplier Sought

Bay Staters will have to wait a while before the online service is up and running. The lottery first needs to launch a procurement process to find a supplier. The good news is that the MA Lottery app and Mass Lottery website were built with the capability to accommodate a future online lottery, and they already have 350K registered, age-verified players.

Bracken estimates that the whole process will take about 16 months, which means the platform should be ready to go live before the end of next year.

Bracken also addressed concerns that the online lottery would eat into land-based retailer revenue. He explained that there are plans for a player rewards system that would drive online players to brick-and-mortar stores. Although the finer points still need to be worked out, he added he believes an online lottery could increase footfall in land-based stores.

“It’s really a win-win for everyone,” he assured MassLive.

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In February, IGT and Everi announced a $6.2 billion deal in which the pair of the lottery giant’s units would merge with Everi. Apollo slightly topped that price in what is the largest announced acquisition this year in the gaming industry. Under the terms of the deal, Apollo will pay $4.05 billion in gross proceeds to IGT and $14.25 a share to Everi investors — a 56% premium to that stock’s July 25 closing price. Rumors surfaced last September that Apollo was interested in the IGT assets.

The acquisitions of IGT Gaming and Everi by the Apollo Funds are cross-conditioned. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals and approval by Everi stockholders, and is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2025. IGT shareholder approval is not required for the transaction,” according to a statement.

Everi is scheduled to release second-quarter results on Aug. 9, but due to the Apollo announcement, the slot machine manufacturer will not host an earnings conference call.?IGT will proceed with its earnings call on July 30 because it remain a publicly traded company focusing on lottery operations and sales following the Apollo transaction.

Apollo Deal Appears Better for IGT Investors

In June 2023, IGT announced it was considering strategic alternatives for its global gaming and PlayDigital units. At that time, it was expected that IGT’s slot machine business alone could fetch $4 billion to $5 billion in a sale.

“Post-transaction, IGT is a better-capitalized lottery pure-play. Overall, solid lottery industry and company-specific trends continue, in our view, with potential new innovations to drive SSS ahead (potential Mega Millions price increase, etc.),” wrote B. Riley analyst David Bain in a note to clients today.

When the Apollo transaction is completed, IGT will change its name and stock ticker, “becoming a premier pure play lottery business,” according to the statement.

Deal Could Be Harbinger of More Gaming M&A

Apollo is familiar with the gaming device business? as it was previously the largest investor in PlayAGS (NYSE:AGS), which is also in the process of being acquired. The private equity firm liquidated that stake in November 2022.

Bain says the deal with IGT and Everi could be a sign of more gaming industry consolidation activity to come because buyers can find targets that are more valuable than current share prices imply.

“We continue to believe active M&A in the gaming industry demonstrates intrinsic values are much greater than current public valuations,” added the analyst. “Apollo is well-known by both investors and the gaming industry, and we believe it is well-suited (and capitalized) to assist in the combination of IGT and EVRI and support the combined company’s strategic initiatives. Net, we believe IGT Gaming and EVRI are stronger with Apollo.”

Indeed, Apollo is familiar to gaming investors as the private equity firm is frequently tied to an array of industry takeover rumors and it currently operates the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip as well as other wagering assets.

The post Apollo Surprises With $6.3B Bid for Everi, IGT Gaming Biz appeared first on Casino.org.

Mark Fletcher, a 49-year-old dad from Wigan, England, faded odds of 41 million to one to correctly guess the numbers of the June 29 draw. The only problem was, unbeknownst to him, he hadn’t actually bought a ticket. They say you’ve got to be in it to win it, and Fletcher most certainly was not “in it.”

Fletcher phoned the Lottery after he checked the numbers on the app, which indicated a “winning match.”

When using the app, players can select a set of numbers, which they can save on their account as “my numbers.” Then they can use the results checker to check them against any previous draw.

But if you want to actually win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket. A lottery spokesperson confirmed that not only did Fletcher not buy a ticket for the June 29 draw, but he had also never bought a ticket for any previous draw via the app.

Lottery ‘Cruelty’

Well, that’s cleared that up then. Except, in an interview with his local newspaper, Wigan Today, it’s as though Fletcher still isn’t sure about what happened.

“I was on the phone for 45 minutes and the woman was adamant I wasn’t a winner,” he complained. “Then I asked why it was telling me I’d won and if there was a fault with the app, and they denied that also.

… She kept saying, ‘you haven’t bought that ticket, have you, Mark?’” an experience Fletcher described as akin to “being put under a lie-detector.”

“When people play the Lotto, they think it’s a trustworthy service but I’m doubting that now,” he confided. “They’ve not shown any empathy towards me.”

Fletcher said the “cruel” experience had left him with sleepless nights thinking about “what ifs.”

￡35M Misstep

He isn’t the only British lottery player to believe they had hit the big one, only to have their dreams dashed. In 2015, Edwina and David Nylan, from Fleetwood, England, were also left thinking about “what ifs” when their numbers came up in a ￡35 million (US$45 million) jackpot draw. They had also neglected to buy a ticket.

The couple played via their online account every week using the same numbers, although on this particular occasion, the ticket purchase had failed because they only had 60p in their account.

British tabloid The Sun ran a story that week featuring images of the Nylans looking suitably downcast.

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When the clerk, Meet Patel, 23, arrived at the Tennessee Lottery’s Nashville headquarters to claim the jackpot, lottery officials became suspicious and obtained security video from the store, according to a news release from the?Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

“He [Patel] went to the Tennessee Lottery Commission to claim the ticket as his own and through their normal line of questioning there were enough red flags for them to say, ‘Hey, you need to get all of your affairs in order and come back to us and we’re gonna hold on to the ticket,’” Lt. Det. Steve Craig told WTVF.

$1M in the Trash

The video from the day the ticket was sold showed a customer enter the Murfreesboro, Tenn. Shell station and buy two $20 Diamond and Gold scratch-off tickets. The customer asked Patel to immediately check them for wins.

If you scratch off the front bar code on a ticket, the store’s computer system can instantly tell you if it’s a winner, regardless of whether you scratch off the other symbols or not.

Patel is currently being held at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center. His bond has been set at $100K and he’s due in court July 30. In Tennessee, the sentence for a Class A felony is 15–60 years in prison.

“It’s pretty obvious. It’s good enough for me to put in front of 12 jurors and make sure that they all come to the same conclusion,” Craig told WTVF.

Real Winner Found

After reviewing the security footage from the store, the sheriff’s office was able to identify the real winner and notify him of his good fortune. The Antioch, Tenn. dad, who has opted to remain anonymous, was initially skeptical, believing it to be some kind of telephone lottery scam.

“The feel-good side of this story is the [he] never knew he was the winner until we made contact with him,” Craig said. “That is absolutely life-changing money.”

The post Tennessee Store Clerk Filched $1M Lottery Ticket, Cops Say appeared first on Casino.org.

Ohio Reps. Jay Edwards (R-Athens), Jeff LaRe (R-Violet), and Cindy Abrams (R-Hamilton) were three of the eight state lawmakers appointed to the Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio. Edwards co-chaired the study panel with Sen. Nathan Manning (R-Lorain).

The study commission held four meetings on February 20, March 19, March 20, and April 11 during which time the state’s gaming interests provided testimony on whether the state should or shouldn’t expand gambling to the internet. Currently, only online sports betting is allowed.

The Ohio legislative session runs through the end of the year.

Online Gaming Support

The three House Republicans wrote the General Assembly that the state should expand commercial casinos and lottery gaming to the internet in a regulated environment. Edwards, LaRe, and Abrams acknowledged in their letter some pushback from the state’s current brick-and-mortar casinos, most notably from Jack Entertainment, which operates two gaming properties in the Cleveland metro area, but believe such expansion is warranted.

While we understand their hesitation to expand due to an uncertain impact, we believe that iLottery and iGaming could be a net benefit to the state of Ohio. Looking at other states that have implemented either or both iLottery and iGaming, we see significant increases to tax revenues generated with greater participation but also that in-person sales continued to increase,” the Republicans wrote.

Currently, only seven states permit online slot machines and table games: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The three lawmakers cited ongoing iGaming gross gaming revenue increases in those states while in-person play grows, albeit at a slower rate.

The representatives said that while they support iGaming, any implementation “must not come at a cost” to the state’s current casinos and racinos that employ thousands of Ohioans. ?

Online lottery sales and/or instant gameplays are offered in just nine states: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Washington, DC, allows iLottery, too.

The Ohio Republicans supportive of iLottery say allowing online gameplay has only supplemented lottery sales and increased revenue for the programs they benefit.

“The reality is that many other states are moving in this direction and Ohioans are already using the illicit market. Lawmakers should accept that it is very likely that these expansions are only a matter of time and move forward in the best interest of the State of Ohio. As technology evolves and society progresses, so too should our laws,” Sweeney wrote.

Panel Not Unified

Other lawmakers serving on the Study Commission on the Future of Gaming in Ohio weren’t so sure iGaming and iLottery are needed, at least at this juncture. Manning said Ohio “must proceed with caution” in discussing such gambling, as the verticals “potentially have more addictive qualities.”

State Sen. William DeMora (D-Columbus) also opposed online gaming and lottery play. Along with addiction worries, DeMora opined that iGaming and iLottery would negatively hurt business as retail facilities.

“The casino gaming industry employs hundreds of people with good, union jobs. We cannot risk the position of these critical institutions by making them irrelevant, with Ohioans who want to gamble turning to their phones instead of supporting brick-and-mortar stores,” DeMora wrote.

The post Ohio Republicans Voice Support for iGaming, iLottery After Serving on Gaming Study Panel appeared first on Casino.org.

On Monday, Petersburg Circuit Court Judge Dennis Martin signed off on referendum language drafted by the city council.

With Martin’s approval, the referendum is now ready to be printed on the local Petersburg ballots that will go before voters for the Nov. 5 election. If a simple majority of voters endorse the presented casino, the developers behind the project will be able to proceed with applying to the Virginia Lottery to secure a gaming concession in the commonwealth.

Referendum Language

Petersburg voters will face the following local ballot referendum on Nov. 5:

Shall casino gaming be permitted at a casino gaming establishment in Petersburg, Virginia, located on an approximate 92.5-acre development site located off Interstate 95 at Wagner Road along Brassfield Parkway in the City of Petersburg as may be approved by the Virginia Lottery Board?”

“Yes” and “no” checkboxes accompany the question. The specific location is where The Cordish Companies hopes to build and open an approximately $143 million casino within a year of a successful referendum.

Cordish, which operates Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in its home state and two casinos in neighboring Pennsylvania, is partnered with Bruce Smith Enterprises, a commercial real estate firm specializing in mixed-use developments in the Mid-Atlantic. Bruce Smith is a Virginia native from Norfolk who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2009.

As for the casino, Cordish and Smith, operating collectively as PPE Casino Resorts Petersburg, LLC, say the permanent gaming floor would offer players 1,000 slot machines, 23 live dealer table games, a dedicated 15-table poker room, and a sportsbook.

The development team projects the casino resort would create 7,500 jobs on average compensation of around $70K, inclusive of benefits.

Bruce Smith Enterprise was founded in 2004 by the NFL’s all-time sack leader. Among the firm’s notable projects include the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Swedish Embassy, and Harbourside Office Building, all of which are in the nation’s capital. The company also built Smith’s Landing, an apartment community, in Blacksburg.

$1.4B Investment Floated

Along with the casino resort, PPE has pledged to further expand the complex during the destination’s first 15 years in business to include an array of mixed-use attractions. Project plans include a non-gaming hotel separate from the casino resort, plus residential units and commercial office space.

Cordish and Bruce Smith said the total cost of the project upon completion would be expected to climb upwards of $1.4 billion.

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This gives rise to the horrible thought that they might be sitting on a billion-dollar fortune without even knowing about it.

Of course, the unknown winner could just be getting their ducks in order. They might be busy hiring a team of lawyers and financial advisers to protect them from the shock of sudden ultra-wealth.

Or maybe they’ve heard of the “lottery curse” and think a billion dollars is more trouble than it’s worth.

Maybe the hamster ate the ticket.

Lightning Strike ?

The good news is that the mystery New Jerseyan, who beat odds of 1 in 302,575,350, still has eight months to claim what is the ninth largest prize in US lottery history before the 12-month deadline runs out.

Let’s put those odds into perspective. The chance of you — yes, you! – ?being struck by lightning once in your lifetime is one in 1.5 million. That means if you bought 200 tickets for the Mega Millions draw, you would have roughly the same chance of winning as you would have of being struck by lightning. We like a level playing field.

Many other state lotteries demand that jackpot winners become cogs in their relentless publicity machines, exposing them to scammers, freeloaders, and murderers, but not New Jersey.

Word of Advice

If the winner is still feeling nervous about coming forward, we’d like to share some advice from America’s (former) foremost “lottery lawyer,” Jason Kurland.

Kurland represented many of the biggest jackpot winners in the country, including the anonymous South Carolina individual who won the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot in 2018.

In 2020, Kurland said the best advice for jackpot winners was to “keep your mouth shut and call a lawyer.”

Don’t advertise it,” he added. “Don’t tell too many people you won. If your name’s out there, everyone comes out. Not only family you haven’t spoken to in a long time, but charities. Mostly good. But some are bogus.”

Kurland is currently languishing in a federal prison following his conviction for defrauding lottery winners out of $107 million. Yes, he let us all down. But that doesn’t mean his advice wasn’t sensible at the time, and it reinforces that you can’t trust anyone, especially your lawyer.

The winner has the choice of a one-time cash payment of $537.5 million or the full value of the prize paid out through 29 annual payments that increase about 5% each year. That’s before federal and state taxes.

Should they never come forward, the jackpot will be redistributed among each of the 45 states that contributed to the prize pool.

The winning ticket was sold on March 26 at Shoprite Liquors in Neptune Township, N.J.

Ring any bells?

The post Mega Millions $1.13B Jackpot Still Unclaimed by Mystery New Jerseyan appeared first on Casino.org.

The Sunset Advisory Committee (SAC) is tasked with reviewing the performance of state agencies before recommending how they can be improved or even determining that they should be abolished. In a newly published report, the SAC reserves some harsh words for the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) and especially its tolerance of “courier companies.”

The SAC said the TLC had become “stagnant” and “passive” in its failure to react to the loophole. This created a situation where ordinary Texans who entered that day’s draw were unaware they only had a shot at half the big prize, at best.

Lottery Becomes Exploitable

The April 22, 2023, Texas Lottery draw was one of those rare occasions when the lottery becomes mathematically exploitable, but only if you have the means to buy up all possible combinations of numbers, which just so happens to be 25.8 million.

After 93 rollovers, the jackpot had grown to $95 million. So, the syndicate realized that it would need to risk $25.8 million in $1 lottery tickets to be guaranteed a $95 million jackpot, which would be $57.8 million after state and federal taxes. Even if the syndicate was unlucky enough to share the first prize with another winner, it would still make a small profit.

Meanwhile, the syndicate would also vacuum up 289 second prizes for matching five or six numbers, plus all the lower prizes, adding roughly another $2.5 million to the haul.

So, how was the syndicate able to buy 25.8 million tickets when the Lottery normally only sells 2 million on a good day? The answer is lottery couriers.

‘Hooked on Montana’

Lottery courier services are third-party outfits that sell tickets online through mobile apps. They fulfill orders from customers by purchasing tickets in bulk from licensed retailers. Generally, the courier service handles the process of collecting and distributing winnings to their customers.

Nevertheless, Hooked on Montana was licensed to sell lottery tickets. Its owner, Richard Wheeler, told USA Today he had started doing some lottery couriering as a spin-off from his main business. He sold more than 11 million lottery tickets to Rook TX.

Currently, only two states, New York and New Jersey, have legalized and licensed courier businesses, but they are tolerated in many other states – too much so in Texas for the SAC’s liking.

The post Texas Lottery Blasted Over Loophole That Let Syndicate Win $95M appeared first on Casino.org.

Lotto.com and its competitors, including Jackpocket.com and Jackpot.com, allow players in states where online lottery sales aren’t permitted to purchase game plays via the internet. Customers buy a ticket for draw games and scratchers that prompts a physical lottery courier to visit a brick-and-mortar retailer to complete the purchase.

Lotto.com, the first such online lottery platform in the United States, says its customer base now exceeds two million accounts.

It’s an incredible milestone for us, reaching two million customers with our accessible and convenient way to order lottery tickets,” said Lotto.com CEO Thomas Metzger. “We are especially proud to expand our customer base knowing this increases the incremental funds that our platform brings to the good causes that state lotteries support.”

The Lotto.com release said it took the company two years to reach one million customers, but less than a year to double its accounts to two million. Lotto.com is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Industry Under Scope

Only nine states — Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia — currently allow their lotteries to offer online game sales and instant scratch-offs. The lottery in Washington, DC, also permits online sales.

For the 36 other states that have a state-run lottery, tickets must be purchased in person at an authorized retailer. Lotto.com and its competitors seek to provide people who might not be physically able to visit a retail lottery venue, or simply want the convenience of playing from home, with that option in certain states that allow courier services.

California lottery officials said the lottery was designed to support not only public education, but also help small businesses that sell tickets.

“App-based and online lottery ticket resellers are not permitted to operate in California. Sales of California Lottery tickets by mail, online, or via a mobile application are illegal. Anyone who buys their tickets through a digital reseller is ineligible to win,” the California Lottery website reads.

Lotto.com Operations

While California has taken a hard stance against lottery courier services, many other states allow — or at least don’t explicitly prohibit — their use. Lotto.com is available in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas.

New York remained the richest lottery state last year, with 2023 sales totaling upward of $10.5 billion. Florida was next at $9.8 billion.

Lotto.com charges varying service fees ranging from 15% to 25% of the ticket price. For instance, $10 worth of Powerball tickets becomes $11.50 to $12.25, depending on the state where the courier service is used.

Lotto.com doesn’t take a cut of a winning ticket or charge fees on cash withdrawals, though third-party payment processing fees could apply. A convenience fee is also applied to account deposits in New York.

The post Lottery Courier Service Lotto.com Celebrates 2M Customer Milestone appeared first on Casino.org.

Advertisers that hold gaming licenses in one of approximately 40 countries — of which the US is one — are eligible to run DFS and internet lottery (iLottery) spots on Google. Other nations on that list include Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, and the UK.

On July 15, 2024, the Google Ads Gambling and games policy United States country-specifics will be updated. We will begin to accept and run ads for lottery-couriers in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming,” according to Google.

Would-be advertisers also must substantiate to Google that they are licensed to provide gaming services in at least one of the states mentioned above. Of that group, 17 states have competitive online sports wagering markets.

“If advertisers are targeting their ads in a state that does not require a license, the advertisers must be licensed in at least one other state that does require a license to operate Lottery Courier services,” added Google.

Google Making Gaming Ads More Efficient

Google’s approval of DFS and lottery courier ads in select states brings some level of efficiency to the company’s often cumbersome requirements surrounding wagering-related ads while still retaining relevant guidelines and regulations.

That was one example of the internet company’s pragmatic approach to allowing wagering-related fare in its searches and app store. The company was famously slow in approving online sports betting and iGaming ads with wide reaches, too.

For gaming companies to run ads with Google, the operators must meet 10 requirements. Those include various state and geographic requirements, not targeting ads to minors, keeping related apps out of Google’s Designed for Families program, and displaying information about responsible gambling.

Google Lottery Courier Standards Matter

Google’s state-level regulations pertaining to lottery courier services such Lotto.com, The Lotter, and JackPocket are relevant because just New York and New Jersey license and regulate those companies.

Still, the breadth of states the internet search provider is allowing to see lottery courier spots could be viewed as a win for the still-nascent industry.

The post Google to Permit DFS, Internet Lottery Ads in Most US States appeared first on Casino.org.

Meanwhile, the Lottery has written to its 23K ticket retailers warning them that selling tickets to lottery couriers could result in the termination of their contracts.

Lottery courier services are third-party companies that sell tickets online through mobile apps. They fulfill orders from customers by purchasing tickets in bulk from licensed retailers. The courier service handles the process of collecting and distributing winnings to their customers.

Legal in New York and New Jersey

Couriers operate, but are unregulated, in many states. Currently only two states, New York and New Jersey, license and regulate couriers, such as Lotto.com, The Lotter, and JackPocket. These companies are required to comply with a framework of regulation that includes things like age verification and responsible gambling measures.

“…[W]e are thankful for the support of our retail partners in helping our customers play safely, rather than exchanging money with a third-party, unregulated business. Any California Lottery player who buys their games through an online courier is not eligible to win,” she added.

The Lottery said it is prohibited by law from knowingly paying a prize on any ticket acquired online.

DoorDash for Lottery Tickets

Couriers who operate in California deny what they’re doing is against the law. They are simply buying tickets from licensed retailers on other people’s behalf, as you might do for a friend or family member, they argue.

In May last year, one courier, Mido Lotto, told NBC 4 Los Angeles that it “does not sell Lottery tickets, much like DoorDash and UberEats do not sell food.”

There is no legal prohibition on our services, but at the same time, the [California] Lottery has no express authorization to offer these services and are therefore unable to authorize or endorse what we do, and we have no formal affiliation with them,” Mido Lotto added. “We absolutely welcome the adoption of greater oversight to give the Lottery increased visibility into our operations and greater assurance to our customers…”

Becker told NBC that the Lottery had never had to invalidate a jackpot claim on a ticket that had been purchased by a courier, but she added that this was something that could happen in the future.

The post California Lottery Won’t Pay Out on Courier-Bought Tickets appeared first on Casino.org.

Jackpot.com continues to expand its reach and target possible new customer demographics. The AP partnership will bring lottery results to the media organization’s website in states where Jackpot.com operates.

Jackpot allows people in six states to purchase lottery tickets online through the company’s courier service. The platform and mobile app are live in Arkansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Texas. Each of those states prohibits their lotteries from selling online tickets.

Working with the Associated Press as their official lottery courier and provider of state lottery results marks a pivotal moment for us at Jackpot.com,” said Akshay Khanna, the company’s CEO and co-founder.

“This collaboration not only helps provide readers with the latest lottery drawing results but enables them to seamlessly and responsibly purchase lottery tickets online. We’re not just selling tickets — we’re transforming the landscape of lottery gaming,” Khanna added.

Jackpot vs. Jackpocket

Jackpot.com is a third-party app and website that facilitates the purchase of official state and interstate lottery tickets for online consumers.

Currently, only nine states allow their state-run lotteries to offer online sales. They are Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The lottery in Washington, DC, also facilitates online purchases.

While online lottery sales are limited to those jurisdictions, the states where lottery gaming is permitted but the state lotteries don’t directly facilitate online ticket sales typically don’t have laws prohibiting courier services like Jackpot.com.

Jackpot.com says it provides a safer lottery platform because it has invested heavily in responsible gaming protocols.

The lottery courier is the only business of its kind in the US to receive the iCap Responsible Gambling Accreditation from the National Council on Problem Gambling. The certificate is issued to online gaming companies that have implemented best practices for online gambling player protection.

More Than Lottery Tickets

DraftKings last month completed its $750 million acquisition of Jackpocket. The official digital lottery courier of the USA Today Network, Jackpocket is operational in 17 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia. Jackpocket is also live in Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

In addition to Jackpocket and Jackpot.com, other notable online lottery courier companies include Lotto.com, theLotter, and Mido Lotto. There are 17 states where such lottery couriers are operating online in a largely unregulated environment.

A lucky player in Illinois won a $552 million Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday night — the ninth-richest prize ever won on the lottery game.

The post Jackpot.com Online Lottery Courier Service Partners With Associated Press appeared first on Casino.org.

Adwise Research, a New York-based intelligence agency specializing in iGaming and lottery insights, analyzed Mega Millions data from October 2017 through January 2024 to determine where the majority of the jackpots and secondary major prizes are won.

California leading isn’t necessarily a surprise, as the state is home to more people than any other in the union. New York is home to the fourth-most people and Florida is third. New Jersey, however, ranks 11th in population.

Eight tickets sold in California and another eight sold in New York have won the Mega Millions jackpot since 2017. Five Mega Millions tickets sold in New Jersey matched the six drawn numbers while four tickets sold in Florida hit the jackpot. ?

Mega Millions Lucky Numbers

The odds of a Mega Millions ticket matching the five white balls and gold Mega Ball are a meager one in 302,575,350. The six balls are drawn at random, but the Adwise deep dive found that certain numbers are drawn more often than others.

The researchers relayed to Casino.org that since 2017, the Mega Ball has most often landed on higher numbers in the 18-25 range. Mega Millions tasks players with picking five numbers from a lot ranging between one to 70 and a gold Mega Ball from a pool of numbers from one to 25.

Adwise CEO Andriy Nezdopa says though higher Mega Ball numbers have paid off for some lucky Mega Millions players in recent years, he reminds the public that the randomness of the lottery means that might not be the case in the years ahead.

Despite the fervor and the strategies that some players employ, the essence of Mega Millions remains rooted in luck and chance. Each draw is an independent event, with every number combination having an equal probability of being selected,” Nezdopa said.

“While it’s tempting to believe that studying the game can yield better results, the reality is that no method can guarantee a win,” he concluded.

Mega Millions, Powerball Jackpots to $731M

Tuesday night’s $560 million Mega Millions drawing comes with a one-time cash option of an estimated $248.4 million. The drawing will take place at 11 pm ET from the WSB-TV studio in Atlanta.

Powerball will next be drawn Monday night at 10:59 pm ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. The estimated jackpot is $171 million, with a cash value of $79.5 million.

The odds of a ticket winning the Powerball jackpot are slightly better than Mega Millions at roughly one in 292.2 million.

The post Mega Millions Players in California, New York, and New Jersey Are the Most Lucky appeared first on Casino.org.

In a note to clients, Stifel analyst Jeffrey Stantial moved IGT to “buy” from “hold” while boosting his price target on the stock to $26 from $24. That new forecast implies upside of more than 30% from current levels. He said IGT’s plan to spin off and merge its global gaming and PlayDigital units with Everi (NYSE: EVRI) has been an overhang on the stock, but that headwind could abate when the deal closes.

Despite the favorable update & healthy lottery trends reported at Q1, shares continue to trade lower which we think now primarily reflects mechanical overhang ahead of Gaming & Digital spin-off,” wrote Stantial. “While risk remains that IGT proves “dead money” ahead of close, we rather risk being too early than late (especially given 2H weighted lottery content launch cadence) while expected timing of close sits well within our NTM investment rating horizon.”

Under the terms of the transaction, IGT investors will own 54% of the new company, while Everi shareholders will control the remainder. The merger is expected to close late this year or in early 2025.

Reduced Risk in Italy Could Add to Case for IGT Shares

Shares of IGT are off 28.2% year to date and one of the reasons the stock has struggled is concern about the company’s positioning in a retender for Italy’s lottery rights.

“As such, historically we’ve observed meaningful volatility for IGT shares during the contract bid process which alongside deal-related mechanical overhang (see below), led us to downgrade IGT on 3/3 purely on timing with our underlying lottery re-rate thesis still intact,” adds Stantial.

However, IGT provided an encouraging update on the Italy retender during its first-quarter earnings update and, as Stantial observed, only Sisal is likely to bid against IGT for the Italy contract — and that might not happen because parent Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT) could balk at allocating nearly $1.1 billion in upfront capital to procure the contract.

IGT Might Deserve More Credit

When IGT announced a strategic review nearly a year ago, it was estimated that it could fetch $4 to $5 billion in a sale of its global gaming and PlayDigital units, but the transaction with Everi is valued at $6.2 billion. That could be a sign that IGT deserves more credit for commanding a better-than-expected price.

Analysts argue that when lottery assets are attached to conglomerate-like gaming companies, which is the case with IGT, they don’t get the appreciation they should from market participants.

The post IGT Upgraded on Constructive Lottery Outlook appeared first on Casino.org.

Allan John Beacham, 66, pleaded guilty in January to stealing from the late Alan Patillo, to whom he was a full-time care provider.

Patillo was a writer and director for the 1960s kids’ TV show “Thunderbirds,” as well as its predecessors, “Supercar,” “Fireball XL5,” and “Stingray.”

Later, Patillo was the sound editor for Nicholas Roeg’s counterculture classic, “Performance,” which starred Mick Jagger. He was also the sound editor on Pink Floyd’s 1982 surrealist musical, “The Wall.”

Patillo won his Emmy for his work on the epic 1979 anti-war television movie “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

First Trial Abandoned

Patillo was suffering from stage-five Parkinson’s disease and was immobile and blind when Beacham allegedly began to use the writer’s finances as his personal piggy bank.

During a trial last June, the court heard that Beacham, already living in a house purchased for him by Patillo, siphoned the money from the writer’s bank accounts between Jan. 1, 2017, and June 1, 2019.

Patillo died in January 2020, at age 90.

Beacham initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but his first trial was halted after a series of dramatic disruptions.

These included the defendant claiming during one hearing that he was too ill to continue before driving himself 150 miles back home. At a later hearing, he collapsed in the dock after listening to prosecution evidence.

Judge Loses Patience

On the first day of his second trial In January, Beacham pleaded guilty to theft. But when he appeared for his sentencing hearing in March, he asked to withdraw the plea.

His lawyer later requested for the judge to adjourn the case so that Beacham could obtain a medical statement from his doctor.

But Judge Adam Feest in Winchester Crown Court had heard enough.

The basis is not that the defendant was poorly advised or had any pressure put on him,” said Feest. “In my judgment, this application should be refused. The defendant has had ample time to obtain medical evidence. Even if this was obtained, he still entered a voluntary guilty plea.”

Feest set a new sentencing hearing for June 21 and warned the defendant that he will likely be facing a prison sentence.

The post Gambler Faces Prison for Stealing from ‘Thunderbirds’ Writer-Director appeared first on Casino.org.

State Rep. Franklin Cooke (D-District 16) introduced House Bill 365 in April along with Rep. William Bush (D-District 29). The measure seeks to terminate the Delaware Lottery’s monopoly on online sports betting in favor of authorizing up to five additional sportsbook platforms.

This legislation will produce revenue for the state and assure that the Delaware Lottery office remains competitive with our neighboring states,” Cooke said. “There is substantial consumer demand for multiple operators.”

Cooke said Delawareans continue to drive into the border states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to access their preferred mobile apps.

Revenue Projections

The Delaware Lottery partnered with Rush Street Interactive, the digital gaming unit of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, last year after the lottery’s previous partner, 888 Holdings, withdrew from the market.

Rush’s BetRivers mobile app now runs iGaming and online sports betting on behalf of the state. Rush also handles retail sports betting at the state’s three brick-and-mortar casinos and other retail wagering locations.

“I’ve heard some criticisms of our performance, but we are on pace to meet and exceed all projections for the Delaware online sports betting market this year and for years to come,” Adam Marchuk, vice president of legal at Rush Street Interactive, told Delaware Public Media. “If the market is the same size, the state unquestionably makes more revenue — generates more revenue — under the single operator model, as reflected in the fiscal note.”

State lawmakers opposed to Cooke’s bill say the state would lose money by welcoming in more operators, as BetRivers operating on behalf of the lottery is required to share about 58% of its gross revenue with the lottery, which primarily benefits the General Fund and the horse racing industry. Cooke’s bill proposes a licensing fee of $500K for a five-year license, with gross sportsbook win taxed at 19.5%, with 18% reserved for the lottery and 1.5% for horsemen.

Lawsuit Likely

Cooke argues that the state would receive more revenue from a wider online sports betting market, as BetRivers’ lack of name recognition compared with DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook could be keeping some bettors away. State fiscal officers, however, estimate the state would see its annual sports betting tax benefit drop by $3 million if the lottery loses the exclusivity.

Rush Street could challenge the state law should HB 365 pass. The bill cleared the House Administration Committee last week and now is under review in the House Appropriations Committee.

Rush was the lone bidder last year for the lottery online gaming contract. The deal is to run for five years. It wasn’t disclosed whether Rush paid the lottery an upfront payment for the iGaming and sports betting rights.

The post Delaware Lawmaker Says Competition Critical to Sports Betting Success appeared first on Casino.org.

The Virginia Lottery reports that resident Tierra Barley chose six numbers for a Powerball ticket based on the numbers she received from a fortune cookie. Those fortunate numbers ended up winning her a $50K prize after she matched four of the five white balls and the red Powerball during the May 8 drawing.

Barley’s payout, however, was almost a loss. She told state lottery officials that after purchasing the Powerball play at the Varina Superstore Supermarket on Darbytown Rd. in Henrico, she mistakenly left the ticket slip at the store before taking her daughter to the park.

After realizing she left the ticket in the store, she quickly returned to find another lottery player purchasing tickets. In added fortune, that person had her ticket and gladly returned the receipt to Barley.

Henrico is about 10 miles northwest of the Virginia capital of Richmond.

Fortune Cookie Origins

Fortune cookies are a staple of Chinese food in the United States, but you won’t commonly find them delivered with the check while dining out in China.

Though the origins of the fortune cookie remain disputed, many credit a bakery in San Francisco for developing the treat in the 1890s or early 1900s. The first major manufacturer of fortune cookies is thought to be the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles.

Until World War II, the cookies were predominantly served with Japanese cuisine in the US. That changed amid the war, as many Japanese Americans were interned, relocated, and/or incarcerated, which allowed Chinese Americans to embrace the popular fortune cookie.

However, how the paper slips are written is changing with the development of ChatGPT. The US’ major fortune cookie manufacturers, located in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, have reported adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to help expedite the fortune-writing process.

Another $50K Prize Outstanding

Along with reporting about Barley’s big win, officials at the Virginia Lottery say another Powerball play worth $50K remains unclaimed. And the clock to redeem the prize is ticking toward expiration.

In Virginia, winning tickets expire 180 days after the drawing.

The post Fortune Cookie Provides Winning Lottery Numbers for Virginia Woman appeared first on Casino.org.

Often, mergers are born out of a desire for cost efficiencies or combining research and development platforms, but Truist analyst Barry Jonas said the IGT/Everi combination could provide the scale needed to compete in the increasingly competitive gaming device space.

Both management teams were cognizant that 1 + 1 historically has not equaled 3 … However, both stressed this deal is not about cost synergies or saving R&D dollars. The importance of scale in slot-game and cabinet manufacturing is essential in order to maximize shots on goal,” wrote Jonas in a report following meetings in Las Vegas with several slot machine manufacturers.

Under the terms of the transaction, IGT investors will own 54% of the new company, while Everi shareholders will control the remainder. The merger is expected to close late this year or in early 2025.

IGT/Everi Merger Offers Some Synergies

While the marriage of IGT’s global gaming and PlayDigital with Everi isn’t rooted in cost savings, Jonas noted management expects $75 million in such benefits – an estimate that could ultimately prove conservative.

Other benefits include added slots scale and fintech, iGaming, and sports betting exposure under a single, vertically integrated umbrella. Under that scenario, the newly formed company could generate sales of $2.7 billion as soon as this year.

“The companies believe they can have success porting each other’s more successful games across different markets/classes (including international),” added Jonas.

Potential Lottery Issue Lingering for IGT

The deal with Everi was seen as cleaning up the IGT lottery thesis and that may ultimately prove to be true, but Jonas said that management expressed some concern about the possibility of MegaMillions ticket prices being raised.

While management couldn’t directly comment on recent lottery trade reports that Mega Millions could increase its ticket pricing next year, (they) did say that the impact to IGT from higher ticket pricing could be significant,” observed the analyst.

That’s relevant because lottery accounts for 75% of IGT’s pro forma earnings. Upon announcing the deal with Everi in February, IGT said the merger would help the lottery unit become a “premier pure play.”

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The Washington Lottery announced this week that the Yoke’s Fresh Market located at 9329 E. Montgomery Ave. in the Argonne Village shopping center sold three winning lottery tickets in just over a week that delivered life-changing jackpots.

On April 17, a player identified from Newman Lake won a $4.6 million Lotto jackpot after purchasing the Washington Lottery gameplay at the Yoke’s Spokane Valley location. The grocery store received a $46,000 commission for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.

Just days later, lottery officials say two more lottery players at Yoke’s hit major wins.

The first was a Hit 5 ticket, another game administered by the Washington Lottery, that won $165,000. The other came by way of Powerball, as a ticket sold at Yoke’s matched four of the five drawn white balls and the red Powerball to claim the game’s third-best prize of $50,000.

However, since the Powerball ticket had the optional $1 add-on Powerplay, and the multiplier randomly landed on 4x for the April 24 drawing, the lucky winner’s payout was quadrupled to $200,000.

Good for Business

The Washington Lottery doesn’t operate online games, meaning tickets must be purchased in person at a licensed lottery retailer.

Launched in 1992, the lottery supports early childhood education, vocational programs, and economic development. The lottery also helps small businesses by driving traffic to those that have become licensed lottery retailers.

Yoke’s received $46,000 for the Lotto jackpot because the Washington Lottery cuts a bonus to retailers for selling Lotto or Hit 5 jackpots, with the award amounting to 1% of the prize.

Lottery players are notoriously superstitious, which could prompt many to venture to the Yoke’s in Argonne Village in the coming weeks as some hope the store’s lucky streak isn’t over.

Yoke’s management told the Washington Lottery that it will throw a celebration for employees with the $46,000 commission. Yoke’s is an employee-owned supermarket chain headquartered in Spokane. The company currently has around 1,000 employees at its 20 locations in Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

Lottery Warns About Unclaimed Prizes?

In related lottery news out of Washington, state officials warn the public that $1.7 million in unclaimed prizes will soon expire. The lottery said in a release that 34 tickets in circulation won $10,000 or more that will expire in the coming weeks.

The Washington Lottery requires winning tickets to be redeemed within 180 days from the drawing date. Players who win over $100,000 should contact their nearest lottery office to schedule an appointment to make a safe and secure in-person redemption.

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A Plymouth County Superior Court judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of Joseph Reddem, of Raynham, Mass. He was allegedly involved in a plot to cash in a stolen lottery ticket and attempted to extort money from his co-conspirator.

Reddem, 33, worked as a clerk at the store formerly known as Savas Liquors in Lakeville, Mass., along with Carly Nunes, 24, who pleaded guilty in February to stealing the ticket.

Oblivious Winner

In January 2023, Nunes was working the checkout when a customer entered to purchase a bag of potato chips and two quick picks for the Mega Millions draw. He grabbed his chips but left his lottery tickets in the tray at the checkout counter.

They were subsequently fished out by Nunes.

The victim later told investigators he briefly searched for his tickets when he got home, couldn’t find them, and gave the matter no more thought. He was oblivious to the fact that he hit the jackpot that night.

Two days later,?Nunes, her boyfriend, and Jeddem turned up at the Massachusetts State Lottery HQ in Dorchester to cash the ticket.

A criminal investigation was launched and security video from Savas Liquors showed that Nunes wasn’t the real winner.

Real Winner Found

Nunes was indicted on June 12, 2023, on multiple charges of larceny and fraud, and was arrested on a warrant two weeks later. She ultimately pleaded guilty to one of those charges – presentation of a false claim. She was sentenced to two years’ probation with the requirement that she continue treatment for substance abuse.

He said he wished Nunes the best and would “pray good things come her way.”

Reddem remains at large.

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The freak win occurred when Cynthia Harris of Cary, NC was messing about on the North Carolina Education Lottery website. Harris believed she was playing the free demo version of the Bison Bonanza game. In fact, she had unwittingly bought a $2 ticket for the game.

This wasn’t just any old ticket, it was the “largest digital instant win since the lottery began offering digital instant games in November,” lottery officials wrote in a May 14 news release.

Harris instantly won $736,874 — $526,866 after taxes – overcoming odds of 15.5 million to one to land the progressive jackpot game’s top prize.

“I was like, ‘Wait how did this just happen?’” said a bewildered Harris. “It still hasn’t set in yet.”

“I am a blessed person,” she confirmed.

Long Shot

Harris isn’t the only blessed person to win the lottery inadvertently. In April, Miriam Long, of Christiansburg, Va., won $1 million after hitting a wrong button, leading to an accidental Powerball ticket purchase.

Long had intended to buy a Mega Millions ticket because the jackpot had climbed to an eye-watering $875 million at that time. Instead, she ended up with a lousy Powerball ticket with some randomly generated numbers.

Fortunately, those numbers matched the first five balls that came out of the lottery machine in that night’s draw.

“It was the best mistake of my life,” reflected Long.

Stranger Danger

But the prize for the flukiest lottery win ever goes to Los Angeles woman LaQuedra Edwards.

In November 2022, Edwards was happily feeding $40 into a lottery ticket vending machine at an LA supermarket when she was bumped by “some rude person,” causing her to push the wrong button.

“He just bumped into me, didn’t say a thing, and just walked out the door,” Edwards complained.

“I almost crashed my car,” she said, although we’re not sure she should have been driving while scratching.

Edwards was able to go out and buy a house, all thanks to her collision with a very rude stranger.

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In a regulatory filing, the lottery said it concluded its investigation into the attack on April 5, adding that there was no evidence the stolen data had been misused by any malicious actors. It didn’t attribute the attack to a group or individual.

However, on December 27, a ransomware group calling itself “DragonForce” claimed responsibility for the breach.

Dark Web Data Dump

DragonForce claimed it swiped 3 million records, or 600GB worth of data, 94 GB of which the group said it had made available for download in CSV format on the dark web. It asserted that dates of birth and home addresses are included in the data dump, which appears to contradict the Ohio Lottery’s filing.

In letters to the victims, the lottery apologized for the incident, adding that it was “committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information in our possession and have taken many precautions to safeguard it.”

“We continually evaluate and modify our practices and internal controls to enhance the security and privacy of your personal information,” it added.

The lottery said it has offered those affected 12 months of credit monitoring and ID theft protection.

What is DragonForce?

DragonForce appears to be a new threat actor, and the Ohio Lottery appears to have been its first victim. DragonForce has gone on to target Coca-Cola in Singapore and Yakult Australia.

In mid-March, the government of Palau, an island nation in the Western Pacific, was hit by a ransomware attack that knocked out its computer servers. DragonForce claimed responsibility, but so did another group, LockBit.

DragonForce is apparently unrelated to the Malaysian pro-Palestine hacktivist group of the same name whose attacks against government agencies in the Middle East are motivated by politics and not financial gain.

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The anonymous $1.35 billion Mega Millions winner is suing his ex because he claims she blabbed to his parents about the win without his consent.

Now his former partner has hit back against her wealthy accuser, alleging misconduct on his part. Meanwhile, the winner’s father claims he is “not the son I knew.”

Doe vs. Smith

The former couple are referred to in court documents by the pseudonyms “John Doe” and “Sara Smith,” respectively. That’s because Maine allows lottery winners to remain anonymous.

Doe sued Smith in November 2023, claiming she violated a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) when she told his dad and stepmom about his newfound riches.

Doe wants an injunction preventing Smith from disclosing any further information about the jackpot. He has also asked the court to order Smith to list every person she told and pay compensatory damages of “an amount to be determined at trial, but no less than $100K per unauthorized disclosure.”

Rift Deepens

In recently filed documents in the case, both Smith and the man’s father claim that Doe himself told his parents about the win. Doe also demanded his father no longer speak to Smith, which caused a rift between the two men.

“I told him… ‘You are not the son I knew,’” claimed the father in court documents. “He got angry, calling me a ‘dictator’ and an ‘a***hole.’ I have not heard from my son since, and he has not done any of [the] things he promised.”

Smith alleges in a recent court filing that Doe has hired a security team that allegedly follows her and her daughter around on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Doe claims that Smith is attempting to expose his identity. He also alleges she falsely accused him of trying to “kidnap” their daughter because he refused to pay for her and her new boyfriend to go on vacation.

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The winning numbers for the Powerball drawing on April 6 were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69, and red Powerball 9. One of the more than 20 tickets that 46-year-old Cheng “Charlie” Saephan purchased at the Plaid Pantry convenience store located at 6060 NE Columbia Boulevard in Portland on behalf of his wife, 37-year-old Duanpen Saephan, and friend, 55-year-old Laiza Chao, matched the six drawn numbers.

Saephan claimed the life-changing prize at the Oregon Lottery. He told lottery officials he’s battled cancer in the past and is currently fighting a recurrence.

I prayed to God to help me. My kids are young and I’m not that healthy,” Saephan said.

The trio of winners will split the cash option, which amounted to $422.3 million after federal taxes. The Saephans and Chao will each receive 50% of the windfall.

The Plaid Pantry received a $100K bonus commission for selling the ticket, which was easily the richest lottery prize in Oregon history. The previous record was a $340 million jackpot won in 2005.

Win Shines Light on Asian Demographic

Saephan told the media that he was born in Laos but he identifies as Iu Mien, a Southeast Asian ethnic group that originated in China.

Saephan explained he moved with his family to Thailand in 1987 before immigrating to the US in 1994. He graduated from high school two years later and has lived in Portland for more than 30 years. Saephan has worked as a machinist for an aerospace company, though his time there could be ending after becoming extraordinarily wealthy.

“I will be able to provide for my family and my health,” Saephan said, adding that he plans to find the best doctor for his ongoing treatment.

Saephan said as the Powerball jackpot continued to roll over, he would lay at night praying to win.

I need some help — I don’t want to die yet unless I have done something for my family first,” Saephan explained.

With an abundance of luck and good fortune, Saephan can now rest assured that he’s done more than “something,” a feat that should provide family wealth for generations to come.

Who Is Next?

Powerball and Mega Millions regularly change lives, and the two most popular lottery games in the US are poised to deliver generational wealth in the coming days, weeks, or months.

Tuesday night’s Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $257 million, with a cash option of $115.6 million. The odds of a ticket matching the six drawn numbers are more than one in 302.5 million.

Wednesday night’s Powerball jackpot is an estimated $178 million, with an $81.3 million cash option. The odds of winning Powerball’s top prize are one in 292.2 million.

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That means they bought 25.8 million tickets at a dollar each. The same winner also won 289 second prizes for matching five of six numbers. It’s almost certain they also won all the lower prizes, too, although the Texas Lottery doesn’t keep track of these smaller wins. These prizes would add another $2.5 million to the total haul. In short, they beat the system.

Each Texas Lottery draw sells between 1 million to 2 million tickets. Records from the Texas Lottery Commission seen by the Chronicle show that for this particular draw, just over 28 million Lotto Texas tickets were sold.

Mathematically Exploitable

The April 22, 2023 draw was one of those rare occasions when the lottery becomes mathematically exploitable, albeit only to someone with enough capital to buy up every possible combination.

After 93 rollovers, the jackpot had swelled to $95 million. So the winner was ultimately investing $25.8 million to win a $95 million jackpot, which is actually more like $57.8 million after state and federal taxes are removed. Nevertheless, it’s still a fairly low-risk proposition.

The Chronicle has calculated that because of the large jackpot and relatively low number of players in comparison with the number of tickets the mystery player purchased, there was a better than 90% chance of walking away with the full jackpot.

Little did they know it, but everyone else who entered the draw only had a shot at half the big prize.

Who’s Behind Rook TX?

So, who was behind this dastardly but perfectly legal scheme? The jackpot was claimed on June 27 by a limited partnership called Rook TX, based in Scotch Plains, NJ. The organization had apparently been established purely to collect the jackpot.

It’s not uncommon for lottery winners to form such entities so they can remain anonymous when claiming large prizes. Since 2015, winners of prizes greater than $1 million have been permitted to remain anonymous in Texas.

Records show that most of the tickets for the draw were sold by just four businesses. The winning ticket was purchased in person at a strip mall unit in Colleyville whose signage didn’t suggest that it sold lottery tickets, according to The Chronicle. But it was licensed by the state to do so.

The business, Lottery Now, sold 11 million of the tickets purchased for the draw and must have been printing around the clock to fulfill the order.

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Sandra “Sandy” Crow was found to have fraudulently claimed the $30K prize on a winning $3 Candy Cane Crossword scratch ticket that had been purchased by her roommate, Alvin Hans Larsen III. The pair, of Evansdale Iowa, concocted a scheme in November 2022 to pass off Crow as the winner so that Larsen could avoid paying money owed to the state, The Quad City Times reports.

Crow was convicted of misdemeanor lottery fraud in a November 2023 trial and fined $500 plus costs and surcharges. Larsen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor lottery fraud a month earlier and was given a deferred judgment that will remove the case from his record following two years’ probation.

In Iowa Lottery promotional material, Crow is pictured beaming at the camera while holding an outsized novelty check for $30K. She opted to take the $21,300 lump sum, according to the lottery.

Roommates Fall Out

But things began to unravel for the pair when police were called to their home following reports of a domestic disturbance a month after the lottery win. When the officers arrived, they heard Crow and Larsen arguing about the money.

“I cashed the ticket in. I wasn’t entitled to the money,” Crow was heard saying, according to the police report.

“Yeah, it’s fraud. She is saying I won it,” Larsen told one of the officers.

But when police interviewed Larsen about the ticket, he said that wasn’t true, and spilled the beans. He had been trying to avoid paying a $560 debt, he admitted.

Win Invalidated

In court last month, Crow’s attorney, Kimberly DePalma, argued that restitution should be limited to the $560 debt, not the full $30K the Iowa Lottery was asking for, since the ticket was a genuine winner.

“It is uncontested that the ticket involved in this case did validly win $30,000. There was no claim it was a fake or forged ticket,” DePalma wrote in court filings.

But District Court Judge John Sullivan ruled that the fraudulent claim invalidated the win, and the full amount should be returned. Crow “had no legal right to possess or present the ticket for redemption. Thus, under the statute, (she) was not entitled to receive the prize,” he determined.

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The Nation asserts that by federal law it is the only entity authorized to regulate the conduct of gaming on its lands. That’s in a complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), the state has no authority to offer gaming on the Cayuga’s sovereign reservation unless it is licensed to do so by the tribe, the lawsuit states.

Jackpocket App

Yet the state has deployed lottery terminals on the Cayuga reservation that dispense instant-win scratch-offs and tickets for draw games, according to the tribe. It has also issued a courier service license to Jackpot Inc, a company that enables users to play the New York Lotto and other NYSGC-licensed draw games via the Jackpocket mobile app.

Moreover, the Nation notes that lottery games are defined as class III gaming, akin to slot machines and roulette. The Cayuga themselves are prohibited from offering class III games on the reservation because they do not have a compact with the state.

Under IGRA, they can only offer class II gaming, such as electronic bingo and poker, at their four “Lakeside Entertainment” gaming venues.

The Nation has robust gaming operations throughout the reservation and uses the revenue to provide life-changing government benefits to Cayuga citizens,” said Cayuga representative Clint Halftown in an official statement. “New York State’s practice of authorizing lotteries on Reservation land causes grave concern to the Nation’s rights and ability to provide for Nation citizens.”

IGRA Trumps State Law

The Nation has already established in a federal court that “IGRA preempts all state and local legislation and regulation relating to gambling conducted on ‘Indian lands,’ as defined in that statute.” That ruling of July 2021 put paid to local attempts to thwart the tribe’s gaming operations.

The new lawsuit came after the Nation’s lawyers wrote to NYSGC and Jackpocket offering to discuss the lottery issue but received no response. The suit seeks declaratory judgment that the state is violating IGRA and an injunction to halt lottery terminals and Jackpocket’s operations on its lands.

“The Cayuga Nation has a responsibility to enforce its federally approved gaming ordinance and stop all unlawful gaming within the reservation, whether by the state or private individuals,” Halftown said. “The Cayuga Nation Council will not ignore the State’s gaming, especially the expansion to mobile gaming and the license to Jackpocket Inc.”

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Kira Lee Enders, 36, was detained Wednesday and charged with grand theft of more than $100K, presenting an altered state lottery ticket, and altering a lottery ticket with intent to defraud. Her partner, Dakota Jones, 32, has been arrested on the same three charges.

‘Crudely Laminated’

Enders arrived at the Florida Lottery Office in Pensacola on March 1 to present the ticket, having been driven there by Jones, according to the arrest report.

Lottery officials quickly realized that something was wrong. It was clear that the ticket had been pieced together from two scratch-off tickets and then “crudely laminated” to conceal the fraudulent alterations.

Each of those tickets were ripped horizontally and then carefully pieced together to become one fraudulently altered ticket using the top half of one of the actual tickets and the bottom half of the other,” police noted. “That fraudulently altered ticket now visually shows that it is a one-million-dollar prize winner.”

So inept was the forgery that some of the words on the back of the ticket failed to match up. Nevertheless, Enders continued to insist that it was a genuine winner and signed acknowledgments on the winner claim form related to the criminal consequences of submitting a fraudulent ticket.

On March 7, lottery officials called Enders and told her she needed to come back to the office to complete more “large-claim paperwork.” She agreed, and showed up on March 11, once again driven by Jones.

Conflicting Stories

Both Enders and Jones were detained on arrival and questioned by police. Jones insisted that they were “honest people and they aren’t into fraud,” according to the police report. Inconsistencies in their accounts of how they came to acquire the ticket led police to file charges against both of them.

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons told local ABC affiliate WPDE-TV that he wasn’t impressed by the level of sophistication involved in the alleged crime.

I don’t think this is going to be a made-for-TV movie type of situation. It was clear to lottery officials that she’d taken two tickets,” Simmons said. “Especially when you think you’ve won a million dollars, they’re going to take a close look at that.

“You’re not a lottery winner, you’re a criminal,” he added.

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In a new report to clients, Truist Securities analyst Barry Jonas reiterated a “buy” rating and a $13 price target on Inspired, implying upside of 41.3% from the Tuesday close. Jonas noted the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into the gaming company’s restatement of its 2023 earnings was “presumably to verify the matter has been resolved appropriately.” Inspired highlighted the restatement and related costs in its annual report filed with the SEC on Monday.

Inspired also has room to rapidly accelerate growth in the interactive gaming arena by way of its strong content library. While the number of states permitting internet casinos remains at six, operators in those jurisdictions are using fresh content to gain market share, potentially auguring well for Inspired.

Inspired’s Interactive Division Primed for Growth

After posting fourth-quarter revenue of $78 million, which beat sell-side forecasts, and generating free cash flow of $27 million — an impressive sum for a company with a market capitalization of $237.81 million — Inspired appears poised to build on successes in digital gaming.

Jonas also pointed out that Inspired management “noted Virtuals were at an inflection point and growth could be supported from new-product momentum,” adding that the executives see the company generating $105 million in free cash flow this year.

iLottery Adds to Inspired Thesis

Momentum in the internet lottery space could also be additive to the Inspired Entertainment investment thesis. Online lotteries aren’t grabbing attention on par with internet casinos or sports betting but some analysts see massive opportunity with internet lotteries, noting the market could eventually rival that of online sports wagering.

Inspired also sports a decent balance sheet with $13 million available with which to repurchase its stock, something the company halted amid the earnings restatements, and $40 million in cash on hand.

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Brett Smiley of LotteryGeeks.com reports that sources close to the discussion believe the Mega Millions Consortium, which operates the interstate lottery game on behalf of its 47 participating member jurisdictions, is ready to jack up the price of a ticket from $2 to $5. Smiley’s sources say the odds appear likely for a ticket cost increase.

My understanding is that they’re stuck on $5,” one of Smiley’s sources said. “I think it’s about as close to final as it can be.”

Smiley’s informants say there is not currently a discussion about additionally raising the cost of the $1 add-on Megaplier, which allows nonjackpot winning tickets to double, triple, quadruple, or quintuple their prize. ?

Mega Millions last raised the price of a ticket from $1 to its current $2 cost in 2017. The price jump coincided with the consortium overhauling the gameplay format to make it more difficult for players to win the jackpot.

Format Changes

The 2017 Mega Millions overhaul involved increasing the number of gold Mega Balls from 15 to 25 while reducing the number of white balls from 75 to 70. The adjustment lengthened the odds of a ticket matching the six drawn numbers to claim the jackpot from roughly one in 258.9 million to one in 302.5 million.

Mega Millions officials voted in favor of the change after Powerball underwent a similar revamp two years earlier.

The Mega Millions and Powerball format changes resulted in fewer jackpots being hit, which in turn delivered the popular interstate lottery games with headline-making jackpots. The 10 largest lottery jackpots in United States history, which have all come from Mega Millions and Powerball, have all been won since 2016.

Dubbed “lottery hysteria” by lottery officials, the seemingly nonstop barrage of advertised generational-changing jackpots has been a major win for the lottery organizations and their participating jurisdictions. That in turn has delivered record financial benefits for the many causes state lotteries benefit such as property tax relief, education, and seniors programs.

Fiver Too Much?

Raising the basic price of a Mega Millions ticket by 150% is certainly not without risk. Many lottery hopefuls aren’t exactly flush with cash, coining the adage that the lottery is a tax on the poor is backed by statistical data.

For many players, an extra three bucks for a hope and a dream might be tough to swallow. For those who continue to play, the wealth transfer or poor tax will perhaps continue at only a more rapid pace.

The greatest beneficiary of such a change could be Powerball. Along with having better jackpot odds, the game would be $3 cheaper to play.

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