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Multi-state Mega Millions lottery game changing this weekNews Story
Later this week, the multi-state Mega Millions lottery game will undergo changes including a price hike designed to increase jackpots and make them grow faster. The cost of a Mega Millions ticket will climb from $1 to $2 starting with the Oct. 31 drawing. Tickets for that drawing go on sale Saturday, Oct. 28. Starting jackpots will increase from $15 million to $40 million. Both changes will put Mega Millions on equal footing with Powerball, which usually offers more lucrative jackpots.
Oct 24, 2017, 8:46 am - Lottery News

Did new Illinois Lottery private manager get too good of a deal?News Story
Hoping for better luck the second time around, state officials unveiled a deal Friday to put the fate of the Illinois Lottery in the hands of a British firm that pledges bigger returns than those generated under the manager the state fired. In a do-over of the nation's first, controversial attempt at state lottery privatization six years ago, Illinois agreed to a contract with the only firm to bid for the potentially lucrative job: the Camelot Group. It comes as the state and Camelot pledge t
Oct 21, 2017, 9:55 am - Lottery News

Details of new Illinois Lottery manager deal kept secretNews Story
As the Illinois Lottery edges closer to finalizing a massive deal with a new private manager, the state and the firm have chosen to keep many of the details secret despite past pledges of transparency. The deal includes a tiered incentive system in which the new firm, Camelot Illinois, would be paid bonuses for exceeding various profit levels, documents show. But the proposed dollar amounts are not included. That was among the few bits of information in the heavily redacted records the sta
Oct 4, 2017, 9:01 am - Lottery News

Illinois Lottery awards management contract to CamelotNews Story
By Todd Northrop Ending a years-long process of replacing its current management company, the Illinois Lottery today awarded its private management contract to Camelot Illinois, LLC essentially the same company that operates the United Kingdom's lottery. The Lottery's Notice of Award was posted to the Illinois Procurement Bulletin after the State of Illinois Chief Procurement Office of General Services certified the procurement rules for selecting the private manager were correctly followe
Sep 22, 2017, 7:51 pm - Lottery News

Illinois couple claims $393 million Mega Millions lottery jackpotNews Story
Largest lottery jackpot ever claimed in Illinois By Todd Northrop At the same time the latest Powerball jackpot run was stealing headlines, an Illinois couple was at Illinois Lottery headquarters, claiming the largest lottery jackpot ever won in the state. Palos Heights resident Patricia Busking became the winner of the largest prize in Illinois Lottery history when the second line of numbers on her $5 Quick Pick ticket matched all six numbers in the Friday, August 11, Mega Millions dra
Aug 28, 2017, 7:29 am - Lottery News

One Massachusetts lottery ticket wins $758.7 million Powerball jackpotNews Story
Largest lottery jackpot ever awarded to a single winner By Todd Northrop A single winning Powerball lottery ticket matching all six numbers was sold in Massachusetts and will claim a $758.7 million jackpot the largest ever awarded to a single winning ticket. If the winner chooses the lump-sum cash value, they will receive a one-time cash payment of $480.5 million. That's nearly a half-billion dollars in cash, minus taxes of course. The Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega shows the init
Aug 24, 2017, 1:09 am - Lottery News

Wed. Powerball lottery jackpot jumps to $700 millionNews Story
2nd-largest lottery jackpot the world has ever seen! Cash value nearly half-billion dollars By Todd Northrop Spurred on by a surge of lottery ticket sales, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) has raised the official estimate for Wednesday's Powerball drawing to $700 million. With a new lump-sum cash estimate of $443.3 million, a single-ticket winner of the drawing would receive nearly a half-billion dollars in cash. And it may not stop there. Players should watch for fur
Aug 22, 2017, 12:51 pm - Lottery News

$650 MILLION: Powerball lottery jackpot skyrocketsNews Story
3rd-largest US jackpot ever; 3rd-largest cash value ever By Todd Northrop There are going to be a lot of lottery tickets sold this week. For only the 4th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot has grown to more than $600 million. The new high-water mark of $650 million for the current Powerball jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Saturday night's $541.9 million grand prize. The lump-sum cash payout value of Wednesday's Powerball j
Aug 20, 2017, 1:44 am - Lottery News

$535 MILLION: Huge Powerball sales sparks early jackpot increaseNews Story
8th-biggest lottery jackpot in US history By Todd Northrop Due to larger than expected sales volume, the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) has raised the official Powerball lottery jackpot estimate for Saturday's drawing to $535 million. The all-important lump-sum cash value of the jackpot has been raised to $338.8 million. The newly-increased annuity and cash value jackpot amounts are both the 8th-largest ever recorded in United States lottery history. The top-25 annuity and ca
Aug 18, 2017, 11:50 am - Lottery News

$510 MILLION: Powerball lottery jackpot soars into top 10News Story
8th-largest US jackpot ever By Todd Northrop August has been a hot month for lottery jackpot chasers, with both Mega Millions and Powerball simultaneously reaching massive levels. Even though Mega Millions has been won, Powerball continues to roll, now surpassing the half-billion dollar mark. Between now and Saturday evening, anyone can walk into a store and buy a lottery ticket for a couple of bucks that has the potential of winning $510 million which may quite possibly be much higher
Aug 17, 2017, 8:08 am - Lottery News