Michigan United States
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August 8, 2007
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Question 1) Let's say for example, I bought two tickets from a state lotto game such as the MI Lottery's 6/47 game.
The first ticket was a computer pick, and the second ticket, I copied the same set of six lotto numbers from the first computer pick onto a MI 6/47 play slip for the same draw. The nightly MI 6/47 draw takes place and my six lotto numbers are selected as the winning six lotto numbers drawn. After the results are tallied, two tickets matched all six winning numbers, I'm the only jackpot winner with these two tickets. How would I get paid, is the question.
My thoughts are, I know I would score the jackpot for one ticket, but how would the other ticket with the same winning numbers as the first ticket be paid to me?
Question 2) How would the same example as above, apply to the Multi State Lotto games as well? One jackpot winner, with two winning jackpot tickets?
I only ask this because I was talking with someone about it in the past, and they brought up the topic of discussion. They said the Lottery Officials would have to pay you the jackpot twice... two times, because you're the only person who holds the two winning jackpot tickets. I disagreed, but out of coincidence, how would someone get paid with the two jackpot winning tickets?
Texas United States
Member #55,887
October 23, 2007
17,805 Posts
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Quote: Originally posted by L J1 on Jul 5, 2023
Question 1) Let's say for example, I bought two tickets from a state lotto game such as the MI Lottery's 6/47 game.
The first ticket was a computer pick, and the second ticket, I copied the same set of six lotto numbers from the first computer pick onto a MI 6/47 play slip for the same draw. The nightly MI 6/47 draw takes place and my six lotto numbers are selected as the winning six lotto numbers drawn. After the results are tallied, two tickets matched all six winning numbers, I'm the only jackpot winner with these two tickets. How would I get paid, is the question.
My thoughts are, I know I would score the jackpot for one ticket, but how would the other ticket with the same winning numbers as the first ticket be paid to me?
Question 2) How would the same example as above, apply to the Multi State Lotto games as well? One jackpot winner, with two winning jackpot tickets?
I only ask this because I was talking with someone about it in the past, and they brought up the topic of discussion. They said the Lottery Officials would have to pay you the jackpot twice... two times, because you're the only person who holds the two winning jackpot tickets. I disagreed, but out of coincidence, how would someone get paid with the two jackpot winning tickets?
Each winning ticket is paid a share of the jackpot. So you would be paid the whole jackpot but I suppose they could/would pay you 2 checks totaling the prize.
Arizona United States
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March 24, 2015
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Instead of getting the whole jackpot, you'd get two halves of the jackpot. The only practical difference from a single ticket win is that if you wanted to, you could take the lump sum for one ticket and the annuity for the other.
Florida - West Coast United States
Member #92,605
June 10, 2010
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Quote: Originally posted by L J1 on Jul 5, 2023
Why play like that... I totally agree. I would never play like that.
The person I was discussing that topic with... Just doesn't know the value of a wheel.
Thx
Why play like that? There definitely are a couple of good reasons why players do it.
Players in NY and Florida commonly play the same set of five numbers multiple times in their respective states Pick5 games. Because the jackpots are parimutuel (divided equally among all winners) a player can "steal" money from the other winners of the jackpot by playing the same set of numbers multiple times. The "parimutuel-ness" of the game can be tipped in one players favor.
For instance - if the total jackpot payout was $100,000, and there are a total of four winners, but I played the same set of numbers three times on my ticket, I'd win 75% of the jackpot ($75,000) while the other winner would receive $25,000. Had I played just one line, the other winner and I would split the jackpot evenly - $50,000 each.
Also in PowerBall I've bought the same set of five numbers multiple times on my ticket and also added the PowerPlay option. I'm not trying to win the jackpot, rather I'm after the second place prize of $1,000,000 which becomes $2,000,000 if you buy The PowerPlay. The odds to win a second place prize by matching the first five numbers are approximately 11 million to 1 as opposed to 292,000,000 to 1 to win the jackpot. Because I bought the PowerPlay I could win $2,000,000 per line as the second place prize is NOT parimutuel. Each winner of a second place PowerBall prize receives either one million or two million depending upon whether or not they bought the PowerPlay option. I've bought as many as five identical lines on my PB ticket with the PowerPlay option added which if I matched all five numbers would have a payout of $10,000,000. The downside of doing this is my ticket costs me three bucks per line which translates into I paid 15 bucks for one line of five numbers printed five times on my ticket!! I know, it nuts.... and I've wondered if they'd pay me all 10 million. Could be I "broke the bank". By that I mean if the second place prize pool isn't big enough to pay me 10 million not to mention any/all other second place winners, then my guess is they have it tucked away in the official rules that second place becomes parimutuel. Even so, it'd still be a nice problem to have!! G5
Florida - West Coast United States
Member #92,605
June 10, 2010
6,582 Posts
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Quote: Originally posted by L J1 on Jul 5, 2023
Question 1) Let's say for example, I bought two tickets from a state lotto game such as the MI Lottery's 6/47 game.
The first ticket was a computer pick, and the second ticket, I copied the same set of six lotto numbers from the first computer pick onto a MI 6/47 play slip for the same draw. The nightly MI 6/47 draw takes place and my six lotto numbers are selected as the winning six lotto numbers drawn. After the results are tallied, two tickets matched all six winning numbers, I'm the only jackpot winner with these two tickets. How would I get paid, is the question.
My thoughts are, I know I would score the jackpot for one ticket, but how would the other ticket with the same winning numbers as the first ticket be paid to me?
Question 2) How would the same example as above, apply to the Multi State Lotto games as well? One jackpot winner, with two winning jackpot tickets?
I only ask this because I was talking with someone about it in the past, and they brought up the topic of discussion. They said the Lottery Officials would have to pay you the jackpot twice... two times, because you're the only person who holds the two winning jackpot tickets. I disagreed, but out of coincidence, how would someone get paid with the two jackpot winning tickets?
The Lottery Officials would not and could not by law pay you the jackpot twice. The advertised jackpot amount is a fixed amount. However, they'd probably cut you one check for the full amount of the advertised jackpot (minus taxes) but that's IF you are the sole winner.
If you were not the sole winner, then the parimutuel aspect of the game kicks in. If you had either of two winning tickets or two identical lines printed on your ticket then you'd win two thirds of the advertised jackpot amount while the other guy would receive one third...and he or she would hate your guts for the rest of your life!!! Maybe he or she would get over it eventually, but I sure as Hell wouldn't!! G5
Florida - West Coast United States
Member #92,605
June 10, 2010
6,582 Posts
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Quote: Originally posted by GiveFive on Jul 7, 2023
Why play like that? There definitely are a couple of good reasons why players do it.
Players in NY and Florida commonly play the same set of five numbers multiple times in their respective states Pick5 games. Because the jackpots are parimutuel (divided equally among all winners) a player can "steal" money from the other winners of the jackpot by playing the same set of numbers multiple times. The "parimutuel-ness" of the game can be tipped in one players favor.
For instance - if the total jackpot payout was $100,000, and there are a total of four winners, but I played the same set of numbers three times on my ticket, I'd win 75% of the jackpot ($75,000) while the other winner would receive $25,000. Had I played just one line, the other winner and I would split the jackpot evenly - $50,000 each.
Also in PowerBall I've bought the same set of five numbers multiple times on my ticket and also added the PowerPlay option. I'm not trying to win the jackpot, rather I'm after the second place prize of $1,000,000 which becomes $2,000,000 if you buy The PowerPlay. The odds to win a second place prize by matching the first five numbers are approximately 11 million to 1 as opposed to 292,000,000 to 1 to win the jackpot. Because I bought the PowerPlay I could win $2,000,000 per line as the second place prize is NOT parimutuel. Each winner of a second place PowerBall prize receives either one million or two million depending upon whether or not they bought the PowerPlay option. I've bought as many as five identical lines on my PB ticket with the PowerPlay option added which if I matched all five numbers would have a payout of $10,000,000. The downside of doing this is my ticket costs me three bucks per line which translates into I paid 15 bucks for one line of five numbers printed five times on my ticket!! I know, it nuts.... and I've wondered if they'd pay me all 10 million. Could be I "broke the bank". By that I mean if the second place prize pool isn't big enough to pay me 10 million not to mention any/all other second place winners, then my guess is they have it tucked away in the official rules that second place becomes parimutuel. Even so, it'd still be a nice problem to have!! G5
Prior to living Florida I was a resident of The State of New York.
It was quite a few years ago (but I dont think it was more than 10 years ago) that The NY Lottery offered an online game called "Sweet Million". It was a 6/40 game with 3,838,383 to 1 odds to win one million dollars provided you matched all six numbers that were drawn. It's hard to find an online game with odds that low to win a million dollars.
Players absolutely hated the game. It had lousy lower tier prizes... the second place prize for matching 5 numbers was a puny 500 bucks, but the odds to match 5 numbers was 18,000 to 1. Players criticized that by saying "With odds like that it ought to pay more than 500 bucks. $2,000 would be more like the correct prize amount given those odds." And players were right about that! The game lasted for a couple of years, and due to poor ticket sales as a result of lack of player interest, The NY Lottery discontinued it.
But there was something else about Sweet Million that most players overlooked, but one particular player didn't overlook it. And as a result of it he made out BIGTIME. Sweet Million was not parimutuel, which meant that everybody that won a first place prize was paid one million dollars regardless of how many first place winners there were.
One guy went to six different stores that sold NY lottery tickets, and using the same bet slip, he bought six separate tickets, each with one line of six numbers. Except for the timestamp printed on each ticket all six tickets appeared identical. I bet you know where this is going/headed....... Yup, you guessed it. He won SIX MILLION dollars....
Same thing happened in Massachusetts with their Pick5 game Mass Cash. It's not parimutuel, and it's first place prize is $100,000. It has a 5/35 matrix with relatively low odds to win a jackpot. Some guy went to ten different stores and using the same play slip bought one ticket at each store with one line of five numbers. He won a million dollars. So as crazy as it sounds to buy a bunch of identical tickets, more people do it than most think. You don't hear much about it in the media because the tickets are mostly losers. It's when somebody wins big by doing it that it appears in all the newspapers. G5