News writer
Like many Americans, a man from Garland County, Arkansas went into a local store to take a chance on the $625 million Mega Millions jackpot. While he was there, he decided to also snag a ticket for the Arkansas-only draw game, LOTTO.
It's a decision that changed his life.
Winning details
The man walked into the lottery retailer Casey's #4638 in Fort Smith, Arkansas on Wednesday, October 15.
He bought a ticket for Mega Millions and Lucky for Life, but he was also drawn to another game. LOTTO's jackpot was up to almost $1.34 million, and the cashier told him that there was still time to play for that night's drawing.
He picked the numbers 1, 5, 23, 30, 32 and 40, with the bonus number 33.
The man awoke at 4:30 a.m. the next day and found out that he'd won the grand jackpot through the AR Lottery + Club app. He first meticulously checked and rechecked his numbers.
According to an Arkansas Lottery press release, he jumped and said, “Heck yeah, my dreams came true!”
The man claimed his prize that very day at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) Claim Center in Little Rock, and says he plans to use it for retirement.
“We're excited to celebrate another jackpot winner,” said ASL Executive Director Sharon Strong. “We are accomplishing exactly what we set out to do with LOTTO: give Arkansas players another chance to win big. Now, we've been able to help another Arkansan achieve their dreams.”
About LOTTO
The starting jackpot for the draw game LOTTO is $250,000. For $2 a play, players must match six numbers 1-40 in order to score the jackpot. Odds of winning are 1 in 3,838,380.
A record $5.123 was reached earlier this year in the game.
Second-tier winners can get $25,000 if they match five numbers, and the Bonus Number. Odds of winning any prize are 1 in 18.3. Drawings are held at 9 p.m. Central Time on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Winners have 180 days to claim their wins.
The Arkansas Lottery
The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, true to its name, uses some proceeds to dole out college scholarships to state students. The state has given $1.5 billion in scholarships to 822,000 students since the Lottery's inception in 2009. More than $462 million has benefited retailers for prize commissions, and $188 million has been allotted to state and federal tax revenue.
The Mega Millions jackpot is spreading its bounty
The Mega Millions jackpot is now $625 million, the 10th largest jackpot in the game's history, and the residual effects are huge. More players are buying lottery tickets as the jackpot climbs, often garnering smaller prizes - and clearly it doesn't only affect Mega Millions. Games like LOTTO are getting extra play because people are going to retailers and seeing the merchandise.
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