By The Diary
29 Aug 2024, 09:25 AM EDT
An Army veteran who lives in New York City and considers himself a “spiritual” person won $2 million with a Powerball lottery ticket in the August 5 drawing.
The ticket was purchased online at Jackpot.com – the largest in the history of that New York site – with numbers chosen from biblical Scriptures, state Lottery officials announced yesterday, noted PIX11 News.
The unidentified player matched all five white balls 29, 42, 44, 51 and 54, but not Powerball #12. He did, however, double his $1 million, thanks to the Power Play feature.
“We are thrilled to congratulate the winner on his incredible $2 million prize – the largest to date in New York through our platform! This monumental prize not only highlights the excitement of the lottery but also the ease and convenience that our service provides,” said Akshay Khanna, CEO and co-founder of Jackpot.com.
Previously, a person in New York won a Cash4Life lottery prize in the Sunday, July 28 drawing, worth $1,000 a week for life. Also that month, a Schenectady, NY resident claimed a $3 million jackpot in the Xtreme Cash Scratch-Off game, but because he opted for a lump sum payment, he lost more than half of the money to taxes, leaving him with just $1,406,160.
In March, someone won $1.13 billion in the Mega Lottery in New Jersey, the largest jackpot ever won in that state, which remains unclaimed. Players can securely check their tickets on the New York Lottery website or on the official Powerball and Mega Millions portals. Players have up to one calendar year from the time of the drawing to claim their winnings.
If a Mega Millions jackpot is not claimed within that required time limit, each participating state will get back all of the money it contributed to that drawing, he explained. ABC News. Under that lottery’s policy, each state uses unclaimed amounts for different purposes.
Scratch-off games generated more than $4.4 billion in total sales during fiscal year 2022-2023, the New York Lottery said. The New York Lottery remains the largest and most profitable lottery in North America, contributing $3.7 billion in fiscal year 2022-2023 to help support K-12 public education across the state.
- Mega Lottery’s billion-dollar prize remains unclaimed in New Jersey. What will happen to that fortune?
According to statistics, New York is the “luckiest” state in the US in terms of the number of winners of jackpots in the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries in recent decades.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot, regardless of size, are about 1 in 302.6 million. In theory, there’s a better chance of winning the U.S. presidency or being struck by lightning, he quipped. Fox News.
Those struggling with gambling addiction or knowing someone who is can find help by calling New York State’s toll-free and confidential HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (467369).