lottery

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Missouri 'Homebody' Claims Record Powerball Prize

Anonymous winner opts for $410M lump sum payout

(Newser) - The Missouri winner of half the record $1.78 billion Powerball jackpot is calling his windfall the "best problem" he's ever faced. The anonymous man, a self-described "homebody," claimed his prize—a one-time payment of about $410.3 million—at the Missouri Lottery headquarters in...

10% of This Tiny Town's Residents Are Now Millionaires

Locals profit from Lotto Max jackpot

(Newser) - The quiet Quebec town of St. Paul's River is home to about 150 people, and for 18 years, a group of those residents have bought lottery tickets as part of a pool, reports Global News . Earlier this month, they won—big—turning nearly 10% of the town's...

Florida's Bear Hunt Lottery Flooded by Conservationists

Many permits likely to land with those hoping to save bears

(Newser) - Florida's first black bear hunt in 10 years has attracted a staggering 163,459 applications, but a sizable share may be from conservationists who want to save bears, not hunt them, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The state's wildlife agency, the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), is...

ChatGPT Helps Woman Nab $150K Powerball Win

Carrie Edwards, who used a bot to help her pick numbers in Virginia, is donating winnings to charity

(Newser) - After winning $150,000 in the Powerball lottery, Virginia's Carrie Edwards is making headlines—not for spending her windfall, but for giving every dollar away to causes close to her heart. Edwards, a widow and grandmother, snagged her prize after matching four numbers plus the Powerball in the...

Powerball Jackpot Is Now 3rd-Largest Lottery Jackpot

Prize hits $1.7B ahead of Saturday's drawing

(Newser) - The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after yet another drawing passed without a big winner Wednesday, the AP reports. The numbers selected were: 3, 16, 29, 61, and 69, with the Powerball number being 22. Since May 31, there have been 41 straight drawings without...

Powerball Kitty Is Now 6th Highest Ever

No one has won the big lottery prize for 40 consecutive drawings

(Newser) - An estimated $1.4 billion lottery jackpot will be up for grabs Wednesday night, thanks to dozens of drawings without a big winner. The massive Powerball prize is the sixth-largest US lottery jackpot ever, the result of 40 consecutive drawings stretching over the summer without anyone matching all of the...

Powerball's Massive Jackpot Is Going to Keep Growing

Nobody won in Saturday's drawing for $1B

(Newser) - Powerball players will get another chance Monday at a jackpot estimated at over $1 billion, after no one won the big prize Saturday night. No one has matched all six numbers since the end of May, allowing the jackpot to swell to $1.1 billion, which would be the fifth-largest...

Guy Hits Jackpot Twice—by Accident
Guy Hits Jackpot
Twice—by Accident
Jul 21, 2025 11:22 AM CDT

Guy Hits Jackpot Twice—by Accident

Man thought one drawing had already occurred, so he bought second ticket, scored $2M

(Newser) - There are people who hit the jackpot twice, and then there are people who hit the jackpot twice and one of those times is by accident. Such is the tale of Paul Corcoran of Finchburg, Massachusetts, who ABC News reports finds himself in the possession of $2 million after a...

They Were Told They Won Big Lottery Jackpots—in Error

CEO of Norway's Norsk Tipping resigns following weekend snafu

(Newser) - Thousands of people in Norway were told they won big lottery jackpots—in error. The Norwegian state-owned gambling company that manages delivery of the Eurojackpot—a lottery encompassing numerous European countries—said there was an error in converting euros to Norwegian kroner, which made the announced prize amounts "excessively...

Texas Lottery Boss Resigns Amid Investigation

This follows 2 controversial jackpot wins

(Newser) - The executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission abruptly resigned Monday amid doubts that the state-funded body can survive a scandal around two controversial lottery jackpots. In the first case , professional bettors were allowed to essentially rig the lottery in April 2023. A London-based trader representing professional bettors in Europe...

They Figured Out How to Scam the Texas Lottery—Legally

Zeljko Ranogajec, others figured out that if you buy up every number combination you can still make bank

(Newser) - If you forked over your hard-earned cash to play the lottery in Texas in the spring of 2023, you may be a little torqued at what you're about to read. The story out in the Wall Street Journal is about "the Joker"—aka John Wilson, formerly known...

$1M Lottery Winner: 'I'm Not Homeless Anymore!'
Homeless Man
Hits $1M Jackpot
Apr 17, 2025 9:45 AM CDT

Homeless Man Hits $1M Jackpot

'I'm not homeless anymore!': Un-IDed Californian needed money, deserved it, says store manager

(Newser) - A $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket went to a person who not only "deserved it," but "actually needed it," according to the manager of the California store where the ticket was sold. The unnamed winner, a regular customer at Sandy's Deli-Liquor in San Luis Obispo,...

Mega Millions Tickets Just Got a Lot Pricier

They're going from $2 to $5

(Newser) - Mega Millions players will get slightly better odds and should start seeing more billion-dollar jackpots, but at a cost—literally—with tickets for the multistate lottery jumping in price to $5, the AP reports. The price for playing Mega Millions more than doubled for drawings starting with Tuesday's, going...

Mega Millions Jackpots Are About to Get More Mega

Lottery is rolling out new rules with bigger minimum payouts—and higher ticket prices

(Newser) - If you thought Mega Millions jackpots had gotten a little eye-watering lately , buckle up: As ABC News reports, Mega Millions says that it's putting a new rule into play next month that jacks the minimum jackpot from a paltry $20 million to $50 million, meaning jackpots "are expected...

Thieves Stole Guy's Card, Bought $523K Lottery Ticket

And the card's owner has a deal for them

(Newser) - Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth $523,000. But they vanished before cashing in—and now they're among France's most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen, identified in police documents as Jean-David E., is offering to split the cash...

Winner of $1.1B Jackpot Comes Forward After 9 Months
Winner of $1.1B Jackpot
Comes Forward After 9 Months
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Dec 28, 2024 3:55 PM CST

Winner of $1.1B Jackpot Comes Forward After 9 Months

New Jersey winner has chosen to remain anonymous

(Newser) - It took three-quarters of a year, but the winner of the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever has finally come forward to claim their prize. The lone winning ticket was purchased in March in New Jersey , but no one came forward to submit the ticket and claim the $1.128 billion...

Someone in California Just Became a Billionaire

Winning Mega Millions ticket worth $1.22B sold in Golden State

(Newser) - At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the new year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night,...

Mega Millions Jackpot Is Now 5th-Largest in History

No one hit it big on Christmas Eve drawing; jackpot set to be 5th-largest in history

(Newser) - Hang onto those stocking-stuffer lottery tickets. As the AP reports, the growing Mega Millions jackpot has now surpassed $1 billion after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Christmas Eve. That means the estimated jackpot for Friday's drawing is $1.15 billion, potentially the fifth-largest jackpot in the...

Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $1B
Mega Millions
Jackpot Hits $1B
Dec 24, 2024 5:23 PM CST

Mega Millions Jackpot Hits $1B

Christmas Eve winner in 2002 never claimed prize

(Newser) - The Mega Millions jackpot has surged to an estimated $1 billion ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing. Nobody has won the jackpot since September and the prize is now the seventh-largest in the game's history, ABC News reports. If somebody beats the 1 in 302 million odds, they can...

Mega Millions Winner Sues for Other Half of Jackpot

Faramarz Lahijani says he bought both winning tickets a year ago

(Newser) - A Mega Millions winner who already has collected $197 million in a drawing a year ago would like the other half of the jackpot. Faramarz Lahijani filed suit last week claiming that he had both winning tickets for the $394 million jackpot but that the California Lottery has only forked...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser