Victim of stolen Texas lottery ticket says he knows how to get money backNews Story
Willis Willis has an idea how he can get his money back from the store clerk who authorities say stole his $1 million winning lottery ticket. Just get me in a room with him for two minutes, says the 67-year-old Navy veteran. Willis was back home in Grand Prairie on Tuesday after a meeting with Texas Lottery Commission officials Monday in Austin in which his attorneys tried unsuccessfully to collect the winnings. It was a meeting that only seemed to add confusion and frustration to the ...
Nov 4, 2009, 8:20 am - Lottery News forum

Cheated winner wants Texas Lottery to pay upNews Story
A man cheated of his million-dollar jackpot wants the Texas Lottery to pay up. The case of Willis Willis drew widespread attention a week ago after a store clerk was indicted for allegedly keeping Willis' winning ticket and claiming the 67-year-old Grand Prairie man's prize in June. The clerk, identified as Pankaj Joshi, is considered a fugitive. And Willis is still waiting for his money. It's been amazing what's going on, Willis, who said he does maintenance work at apartment build ...
Oct 28, 2009, 8:46 am - Lottery News forum

Store clerk accused of stealing $1M lottery ticket from customerNews Story
Willis Willis may have had the winning lottery ticket, but it was the convenience store clerk who had his number. As authorities tell it, years of playing the Texas lottery finally paid off for the Grand Prairie man in May when he walked into the Lucky Food Store with a million-dollar ticket. But in a double twist of tortured fortune, an opportunistic clerk may have cheated him out of his ticket and his treasure. Now, while Willis waits to be a millionaire, police are searching for the ...
Oct 22, 2009, 5:58 am - Lottery News forum

Texas Lottery unveils scratch-off ticket that benefits veteransNews Story
The Texas Lottery Commission on Nov. 9 just ahead of Veterans Day will start selling the first scratch-off ticket dedicated to a cause other than public education, where game profits now go. The Veterans Cash scratch-off ticket is predicted to pour $9 million a year into veterans' services when fully operational, and $5 million for the start-up year. The red, white and blue, eagle-adorned tickets will cost $2 apiece with a top prize of $20,000. Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, and ...
Oct 19, 2009, 8:33 pm - Lottery News forum

Texas Lottery players can now look forward to PowerballNews Story
Texas Lottery players: Powerball tickets may soon be sold at a store near you. Back in in 2003 when the Texas Lottery Commission added the Mega Millions game, the chairman at the time said, why not add Powerball as well? Six years later, it looks like that is exactly what's going to happen. Everyone who's ever bought a Texas Lotto ticket is hoping for just one thing. That occasionally you might hit the big one and then it's off to the Mediterranean or something you never know, said ...
Oct 13, 2009, 7:24 am - Lottery News forum

Texas Lottery announces record sales for Mega MillionsNews Story
Mega Millions sales in Texas for last Friday's $333 million advertised jackpot were $49.8 million for the prize's entire roll cycle, the highest sales recorded in Texas for any game. The roll cycle began on July 10 with a $12 million starting jackpot and ended with a $325 million advertised jackpot that, because of brisk sales, was bumped to $333 million, said Texas Lottery Commission Deputy Executive Director Gary Grief. This is the highest dollar value of sales for a Mega Millions jackpot ...
Sep 1, 2009, 9:11 am - Lottery News forum

2 lottery tickets split $333M Mega Millions jackpotNews Story
There will be no worldwide lottery jackpot record this time. Two tickets have split last night's $333 million Mega Millions jackpot, one on each coast of the United States. The winning tickets, which are now worth an estimated $166.5 million each, were purchased in San Gabriel, Calif., and the Bronx, New York. The winning numbers were: 1, 17, 31, 37 and 54 with the Mega Ball 31. The Texas Megaplier was 4. Also, 34 lucky players came very close to winning it all, macthing the first 5 ...
Aug 29, 2009, 8:46 am - Lottery News forum

$325 MILLION: Mega Millions lottery jackpot rolls againNews Story
Largest Mega Millions jackpot in two years will be drawn Friday There has been another rollover in the top prize for the multi-state Mega Millions lottery expanding the jackpot to a staggering $325 million for the Friday drawing. The lump-sum cash value is estimated to be $205 million. It is the largest Mega Millions jackpot in two years, and if sales are brisker than expected, it may get even bigger. On August 31, 2007, four ticket-holders from Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia ...
Aug 26, 2009, 1:39 am - Lottery News forum

$252 MILLION: largest Mega Millions jackpot in 18 monthsNews Story
Lottery jackpot hunters will have a big target this coming Tuesday night, when a $252 million jackpot is up from grabs in the multi-state Mega Millions lottery game. It is the largest Mega Millions jackpot since Feb. 22, 2008, when the top prize swelled to $270 million. One ticket sold in Georgia won that prize. The huge pot came about after no tickets won last night's $207 million jackpot drawing. On Tuesday, players will attempt to match all five numbers plus the Mega Ball number to win ...
Aug 22, 2009, 9:29 am - Lottery News forum

Mega Millions lottery jackpot zooms to $207MNews Story
The jackpot for Friday night's Mega Millions drawing climbed to $207 million after no players matched all six numbers in Tuesday night's game. Even though there were no jackpot winners, 14 lucky players managed to match the first five numbers for a $250,000 second-prize win. 3 of those tickets were sold in California, 1 in Georgia, 2 in Illinois, 1 in Maryland, 1 in Massachusetts, 2 in New Jersey, 1 in New York, 1 in Texas, and 2 in Virginia. The California second-prize winners will receiv ...
Aug 19, 2009, 10:39 pm - Lottery News forum