AS OUR MARY SALADNA EXPLAINS TONIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN SEE THE TWO JACKPOTS ADVERTISED SIDE BY SIDE POWERBALL AND MEGA MILLIONS. BUT NOW THE ORGANIZERS OF MEGA MILLIONS ARE LOOKING TO SHAKE THINGS UP. MEGA MILLIONS IS ABOUT TO GET A MEGA OVERHAUL. STARTING NEXT SPRING, THE GAME WILL OFFER IMPROVED ODDS TO WIN BIGGER JACKPOTS, MORE FREQUENTLY, LARGER STARTING JACKPOTS, AND FASTER GROWING JACKPOTS. THE NEW TICKET WILL ALSO INCLUDE A BUILT IN MULTIPLIER ON EVERY PLAY, WHICH WILL MULTIPLY A NON-JACKPOT WIN UP TO TEN TIMES, OR UP TO $10 MILLION. IN ADDITION, THE REVISED GAME DOES AWAY WITH BREAK EVEN PRIZES, SO IF YOU WIN, YOU’LL ALWAYS WIN MORE THAN THE COST OF THE TICKET. THE MEGA MILLIONS IS OFFERED IN 45 STATES AND TWO U.S. TERRITORIES, SO THESE CHANGES ARE BEING MADE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. THEY’RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT WAYS TO TO ENHANCE THE GAMES, MAYBE MAKE THEM A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN POWERBALL. YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT JACKPOT FATIGUE. IT USED TO BE $100 MILLION AND EVERYBODY WAS PLAYING. AND THEN IT BECAME 300, AND THEN IT WAS 500, AND NOW IT’S REALLY APPROACHING $1 BILLION BEFORE YOU REALLY SEE THE SALES KICK UP. BUT HERE’S THE CATCH. SHAKING THINGS UP WILL ALSO MEAN A CHANGE IN THE PRICE OF A MEGA MILLIONS TICKET, WHICH IS CURRENTLY $2 $3. IF YOU ADD THE MEGA PLIER, THE SAME PRICE. NOPE. FIVE BUCKS. THE OH, I DON’T KNOW. I DON’T KNOW. THAT’S A TOUGH SELL, BUT MOST FOLKS TOLD US THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE FLAT $5 TICKET PRICE. LET’S DO THIS. LET’S LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH. I’M WITH THIS. OKAY? OKAY, I’LL PAY $10 IF IT’S GOING TO GET ME SOME MORE MONEY. THEY HAVE $50. SCRATCH TICKETS. PEOPLE BUY THEM LIKE IT’S NOTHING. SO WHAT’S $5 FOR MEGA MILLIONS? FOR BETTER ODDS TO WIN. IF YOU’RE NOT SURE WHAT TO MAKE OF THESE CHANGES, AT LEAST YOU’LL HAVE SOME TIME TO GET USED TO THEM. THEY DON’T TAKE EFFECT UNTIL NEXT APRIL IN NORWOOD.
Woman wins $1 million after forgetting lottery ticket in her purse
An Illinois woman is $1 million richer after winning on a lottery ticket she forgot about.Related video above: Cost of lottery ticket for one multi-state game going upDuring a grocery trip to the Jewel-Osco supermarket in Elmhurst in October, she made the last-minute decision to pick up a lottery ticket for the Lucky Day Lotto, a daily draw game in Illinois. The ticket was set for an evening drawing on Oct. 20.Her ticket purchase was not only unplanned, it was also forgotten, she said in an Illinois Lottery press release, requesting to remain anonymous.“While on my way to visit my aunt, I made a quick stop at Jewel to pick up a few groceries, and before heading out the door, I grabbed a quick pick Lucky Day Lotto ticket,” she said. “I actually put the ticket in my purse and forgot all about it.”On Oct. 20, the game announcers revealed the five winning numbers: 2-3-24-25-28. The woman’s ticket matched all five, but she didn’t know it at the time.“A couple days after the drawing, I saw the ticket in my purse and opened my lottery app to scan my ticket and check if it was a winner. I immediately saw “$1,000,000” on the screen, and I was in total shock,” she said. “I scanned the ticket one more time to double-check, and when it showed “$1,000,000” again, I instantly started crying.”The woman said the winnings will allow her to travel more.“What I’m most excited about is being able to afford annual trips to my favorite place in the whole world: Ireland,” the winner said. “The landscape is stunning and I’m thrilled that I can now look forward to these trips every year.”According to Lottery USA, the odds of winning the jackpot for Lucky Day Lotto are 1 in 1.22 million.The lucky winner is the ninth Illinois Lottery player this year to win $1 million or more with Lucky Day Lotto.
An Illinois woman is $1 million richer after winning on a lottery ticket she forgot about.
Related video above: Cost of lottery ticket for one multi-state game going up
During a grocery trip to the Jewel-Osco supermarket in Elmhurst in October, she made the last-minute decision to pick up a lottery ticket for the Lucky Day Lotto, a daily draw game in Illinois. The ticket was set for an evening drawing on Oct. 20.
Her ticket purchase was not only unplanned, it was also forgotten, she said in an Illinois Lottery press release, requesting to remain anonymous.
“While on my way to visit my aunt, I made a quick stop at Jewel to pick up a few groceries, and before heading out the door, I grabbed a quick pick Lucky Day Lotto ticket,” she said. “I actually put the ticket in my purse and forgot all about it.”
On Oct. 20, the game announcers revealed the five winning numbers: 2-3-24-25-28. The woman’s ticket matched all five, but she didn’t know it at the time.
“A couple days after the drawing, I saw the ticket in my purse and opened my lottery app to scan my ticket and check if it was a winner. I immediately saw “$1,000,000” on the screen, and I was in total shock,” she said. “I scanned the ticket one more time to double-check, and when it showed “$1,000,000” again, I instantly started crying.”
The woman said the winnings will allow her to travel more.
“What I’m most excited about is being able to afford annual trips to my favorite place in the whole world: Ireland,” the winner said. “The landscape is stunning and I’m thrilled that I can now look forward to these trips every year.”
According to Lottery USA, the odds of winning the jackpot for Lucky Day Lotto are 1 in 1.22 million.
The lucky winner is the ninth Illinois Lottery player this year to win $1 million or more with Lucky Day Lotto.