Monday marked the latest drawing of the popular American lottery game, Powerball. The winning numbers from the drawing on February 19, 2024, included white balls 4, 23, 45, 50, 53 and red Powerball 17. As always, hundreds of thousands of players tried their luck for the game’s grand prize. Regretfully, no one was able to guess the winning numbers from the latest draw, allowing the jackpot to continue growing.

The last time the Powerball grand prize was won happened at the start of the year and the lottery game is getting closer to its second month without a jackpot winner. Not unexpectedly, the jackpot increases with each draw that passes and according to Powerball, it is estimated to get closer to $350 million for the upcoming drawing.

The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Wednesday, February 21, 2024. With hours left to go, the estimated jackpot for the upcoming drawing is a staggering $348 million. This sum is applicable in case the winner picks annual installments. But in case a lottery player guesses correctly all winning numbers and is interested in securing a one-time cash sum, they would be entitled to a whopping $164.3 million.

Nobody Won a Million Dollar Prize from the Latest Drawing

Besides nobody winning the grand prize, there was no one who secured a million-dollar prize from the latest Powerball drawing. Eight lucky lottery players won a $50,000 prize each for guessing correctly four white balls and the red Powerball, while three took home a $150,000 Power Play prize each.

Within the lower tiers, nearly 700 players collected a $100 prize each for guessing correctly either four white balls or three white balls along with the red Powerball. On the other hand, 230 lottery players took home a $300 Power Play prize each.

Elsewhere, an alleged winning numbers error resulted in a lawsuit against the DC Lottery and Powerball. The legal claim was filed by a player who was refused the grand prize from the lottery’s drawing on January 7, 2023, although when he checked the lottery’s website, his numbers matched the ones announced online.

John Cheeks, a Washington D.C. man, filed the lawsuit, claiming that when he checked whether his ticket was winning or not via Powerball’s website, his numbers matched with the announced drawn numbers. This had to grant him a $320 million dollar jackpot but upon attempting to redeem his ticket, he was told those were not the winning numbers. Cheeks alleges the lottery confirmed that one of its contractors made a mistake which is why the numbers announced online did not match the winning numbers from the drawing.

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The Hoosier Lottery Commission in Indiana has approved a $50,000 Powerball prize for a man named Paul Marshall, even though his winning ticket was torn to pieces by a store employee. The decision came during a recent meeting in Indianapolis, where five commissioners unanimously supported Marshall’s appeal.

Hoosier Lottery Commission Validates $50,000 Win

The incident unfolded when Marshall returned to the store where he purchased the winning ticket to validate it. A store employee, in the habit of tearing up lottery tickets after checking them with the lottery terminal, mistakenly shredded Marshall’s winning ticket. Indiana retailers are not authorized to pay out prizes exceeding $600, adding to Marshall’s predicament.

When Marshall went to the claim center with the printed slip containing instructions on prize collection, he was informed that the physical ticket was required for payout. Fortunately, lottery officials were able to reconstruct the sequence of events by visiting the store and reviewing video surveillance footage, confirming Marshall’s account.

Chuck Taylor, the lottery director of legal affairs and compliance, stated that the commissioners unanimously approved Marshall’s prize payout after verifying the authenticity of his claim, reported The Lottery Post. 

The Hoosier Lottery Commission attributed the clerk’s mistake to muscle memory. However, all is well that ends well and Marshall can now celebrate his $50,000 Powerball win, turning a torn ticket mishap into a fortunate twist of fate.

While Marshall’s story had a happy ending, another individual, Drena Harris, faced a less fortunate outcome. Harris, who won $500 on a scratch card, had her claim denied by the commissioners. Her winning ticket, posted on Facebook, was fraudulently claimed by one of her followers, who managed to cash out the prize before Harris could collect it. The lottery commission emphasized the importance of caution when sharing lottery wins on social media, citing Harris’s case as a cautionary tale.

In other lottery news, a cashier’s error at a Michigan gas station led to a $390,000 windfall for Lucky for Life player Michael Sopejstal from Illinois. The cashier mistakenly printed a ticket with 10 lines for one draw instead of 10 draws, and when Sopejstal opted to keep the ticket, he later discovered he had won the $25,000 a year for life jackpot. Despite contemplating the lifetime option, Sopejstal ultimately chose the lump sum and plans to use the money for a vacation, saving the remainder.

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The Ohio Lottery has turned another man’s life around as a local won a $1-million second-tier prize from the lottery’s Billion scratch-off tickets.

Frank Phillips, a Columbiana County resident, won the life-changing prize after purchasing a scratch-off ticket at Hollywood Gaming Mahoning, local news outlets reported.

The $1-million Ohio Lottery prize is an annuity that is paid as $50,000 a year for 20 years (before taxes). However, Phillips preferred the $500,000 cash payout option. After taxes, the Columbiana County player is set to receive $360,000.

According to the Ohio Lottery’s official website, there are three $1/year prizes remaining in the lottery. Meanwhile, there are 82 second-tier $50,000/year prizes (such as the one Phillips won) remaining. The lottery also reports that there are 194 $50,000 prizes and multiple smaller prizes still available.

Speaking of the Ohio Lottery, the operator recently expanded its partnership with the leading supplier Scientific Games. Under the agreement, the latter company agreed to continue providing the lottery company with scratch-off games management and SCiQ retail point-of-sale technology.

For reference, Scientific Games’ SCiQ retail ecosystem is currently deployed at over 800 Ohio Lottery shops across the state.

A Lucky Man Recently Won the $360M Mega Millions Jackpot

And speaking of jackpots, a lucky Texan player won the $360 million Mega Millions jackpot a few days ago. The player got the 12/24/46/57/66 combination right and also nailed the Mega Ball number (22). As a result, the Mega Millions jackpot was reset back to $20 million. The prize quickly increased to $50 million as more and more people tried to replicate the earlier winner’s success.

Earlier this month, the Powerball jackpot increased to a staggering $1.04 billion. This is notably the fourth largest figure the Powerball jackpot has ever reached in the history of the game. A week ago, this same jackpot stood at $835 million.

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The Roobet Cup 2023 will showcase top-tier CS:GO gameplay and bring together some of the best professional teams in the scene. The event promises thrilling matches, intense competition, and a chance for players and viewers to experience the excitement of esports on a grand stage. CS:GO’s enduring popularity and the rise of esports betting should make the event a smashing hit.

Players and Fans Can Enjoy a Thrilling Spectacle

Roobet Cup 2023’s structure will follow a classic GSL-style group stage format. Sixteen participating teams will be divided into four groups, each competing against one another to secure a spot in the playoffs. The top two teams from each group will advance forward, leading to a single-elimination bracket to determine the ultimate winner of the Roobet Cup.

The total prize pool of $250,000 means the stakes are high for the participating teams. The Roobet Cup offers a highly visible platform for established and emerging talents to showcase their skills and compete against some of the best in the CS:GO scene. Several high-profile teams like Ninjas in Pyjamas, Furia, Big, and Astralis have confirmed their participation, promising quality matchups and enduring excitement.

The winning team will walk away with an impressive $150,000, demonstrating Roobet’s commitment to supporting the esports community and providing players with the platform and motivation to demonstrate their abilities. Roobet Cup 2023 will run from 25 October to 2 November, giving teams the necessary time to prepare for this high-profile event and gauge the other participants.

CS:GO Competitions Remain Highly Popular

Roobet’s newest event marks the latest in a series of high-profile CS:GO tournaments. August 1 will see the highly anticipated Pinnacle Cup return, bringing together the game’s top talent like Heroic, Astralis, and Fnatic. Such championships have proven highly successful in the past, leveraging the game’s enduring popularity and providing exciting betting opportunities for gambling-oriented fans.

Roobet’s reputation as a leading online crypto casino means the company will likely use the tournament to unite esports and gambling enthusiasts, giving fans a new way to engage with their favorite teams. The operator’s recent successes with more traditional leagues like the UFC should translate well to the newest edition of the Roobet Cup, further contributing to the industry’s development.

As the Roobet Cup draws closer, the CS:GO community bustles with anticipation, eager to witness the intense battles and memorable moments. The tournament’s return demonstrates the online casino’s dedication to nurturing the esports ecosystem, creating memorable experiences, and providing rising players with a chance to make a name for themselves in the competitive gaming world.

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With the recent Powerball jackpot worth over a billion dollars falling to a lucky player in California, many fair-weather gamblers still want some skin in the game. The good news for them is that Mega Millions is not far behind in terms of jackpot prize value.

Next Estimated Jackpot
$820 Million
CASH OPTION: $422.0 MILLION
Next Drawing:
Tuesday, 7/25 @ 11 p.m. ET

What’s Up With the Billion Dollar Jackpots?

If it seems like jackpots are higher these days, it is because they are – the biggest prizes also fall less often because the jackpots are harder to win than they used to be, thanks to a rule change a couple of years ago. The longer it takes to win (the more tickets sold) the higher the jackpot grows. There’s also the knock-on effect of bigger jackpots inspiring additional ticket sales in what would seem like a win/win for everybody.

The odds of winning one of the huge prizes have always been astronomical. The odds of claiming the big prize are now just about 1 in 302.5 million, but the fact remains, you can’t win if you don’t play. It’s also good to keep that number in perspective. The entire population of the US, including every man, woman, and child is estimated to be just over 331M – that means that if everyone got a different ticket, the jackpot would be won but it would be shared by two people.

Cut the cash take-home roughly in half for each player, and the chances of becoming an “almost billionaire” are even worse. But that’s no reason not to play.

“Play” is the operative word. Since there is no way to increase your odds, and no single person could ever actually become a billionaire under most circumstances, the only rational way to approach the game is to consider it as fairly cheap entertainment. For a couple of bucks, you can imagine the very real possibility (not the probability) of having enough money to essentially do whatever you would like to, for the rest of your life.

Increased chances come with the same odds, but lower payouts

You can never change the odds. However, by buying more tickets, or by buying more than one ticket with a group of players, you increase your chances to win – but – the amount you could win is cut in half by everybody else who has the same winning numbers.

If you choose your own numbers, there’s a good chance someone else chooses the same ones. Plenty of people’s children have the same birthday, a lot of people are the same age… the point is that statistically, you are better off choosing completely random numbers (such as Quickpick) than choosing your own – the odds remain the same but the chance of having to split the prize goes down the more randomly chosen your numbers are.

Mega Millions, Like Powerball, is a Multi-State Lottery, and the Rules Matter

While Mega Millions tickets are sold by lottery retailers in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, they are also sold by bonafide agents, and in many states, that agent can be part of a messenger service. In those cases, you pay a little extra for the ticket but somebody else picks it up for you.

While not legal in every state, we saw an Iraqi man use thelotter.com to buy a ticket a few years ago in Oregon and he was paid directly by the lottery there in the way he chose, and anonymously because of his special circumstances of living in a war zone. Whereas the state usually requires jackpot winners to reveal their identity, that requirement was waived in this situation for obvious reasons.

Even though lotteries operated in concert with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) have commonalities, most notably a shared jackpot pool, players still need to collect winnings in the state the ticket was sold. You could mail in a winning ticket or claim it in person, but we doubt the US Postal Service would insure a nearly one-billion dollar ticket, or if anyone would want to plop a $0.60 stamp on an envelope with it, drop it in a box, and go about their day. Almost everybody, including the man in Iraq with his messenger service’s help, must claim big winnings in person.

Jackpot winners will only have so many days to claim their prizes – this will vary by jurisdiction but is always at least 90 days from the date of sale. Of course, legal counsel should be sought right away after securing a winning ticket but it should be recorded with the proper lottery authorities and claimed as soon as possible. To drive the expiration date home, the winner of a $1.5B jackpot in California (with 6-month expiry) recently waited until scant hours before the opportunity expired to claim their ticket.

You’ll have to claim the winnings on your tax return and most likely pay taxes on the winnings. Sadly, overall the lottery is already a poor man’s tax – the rich don’t need more money so they play the game less than people who may need it the most, and the odds are simply the worst. That said, the top tax bracket in the US is currency 37% and no matter where you live or how much income you have otherwise, the IRS will take 25% of your winnings before you ever see them.

With all of that…

Two things remain true – you can’t win if you don’t play and you should never expect to win or chase a jackpot, no matter how you choose to gamble.

Source: The Wildest Rules You Didn’t Know Powerball and Mega Millions Winners Must Follow After Hitting the Jackpot, People, July 21, 2023

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Tom Reeg, Caesars Entertainment’s chief executive officer, provided some interesting insights into his company’s plans for a Times Square casino. In an interview with Tara Rosenblum, a News 12 senior reporter, Reeg talked about what will make the property so special.

Caesars’ bid for a Times Square casino comes as New York plans to provide three casino licenses to the companies that come up with the best and most reliable projects. Reeg took a walk with Rosenblum, showing her the property he plans to use for the future casino. This is notably the first time Caesars has decided to openly discuss the project.

Reeg said that securing a New York license would be the biggest opportunity for his company ever. Caesars Palace Times Square, the company’s planned property, will be located in an existing 52-story skyscraper. It will have a gaming area of around 250,000 square feet, as well as 950 hotel rooms.

Reeg took Rosenblum to the site and told her that he feels there is a lot of untapped energy in the area. He revealed that the property will have luxurious terraces with food and beverage bars, overlooking Times Square. Reeg specified that there will be no gaming on the ground floor – all the casino experience will be on the upper floors instead.

The Property Would Offer Unmatched Experiences

Rosenblum asked Reeg about his revenue projections for the property. While the CEO was unable to provide an exact figure, he noted that the company already pays “north of $100 million in taxes” to New York through sports betting. The casino revenue, he believes, will be much higher.

The senior reporter also addressed Caesars’ recent partnership with Jay Z. According to Reeg, the celebrity was a perfect fit for a partner in the New York project.

Rosenblum noted that some of Caesars’ critics have slammed the casino project because they feel that it will make an already congested area less safe and more crowded. However, Reeg answered that Caesars has already considered a variety of safety and traffic plans.

We have traffic consultants all ready with plans where we would reduce the congestion in Times Square from where it is today … And I think if opponents take the time to sit down and hear what we’re planning, what my experience has been, is they walk away with a different opinion.

Tom Reeg, CEO, Caesars Entertainment

Finally, Rosenblum asked Reeg to reveal something Caesars has never publicly disclosed about the project. To this, the CEO replied that Caesars Palace Times Square would offer an “unbelievable sportsbook experience” to customers. Thanks to this and the partnership with Jay Z, the property will offer experiences that are truly unmatched, Reeg said.

You can see the full interview on News 12.

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The provider of innovative games for the online gambling vertical, Wazdan, unveiled details regarding its biggest-ever network promotion. On Wednesday, the company announced it is preparing to launch its Breaks the Rules Mystery Drop promotion that features a staggering prize pool of €1 million ($1.1 million).

The promotion leverages Mystery Drop, Wazdan’s leading promotional tool that was used for its Easter Drop network promotion only recently. The Mystery Drop promotion tool proved to be highly popular and well-received by the players. In turn, operators saw an increase in fan engagement and retention.

Andrzej Hyla, Wazdan’s chief commercial officer, said that the company is delighted to unveil its biggest-ever network promotion. He reiterated that the promotion features a staggering prize pool surpassing one million dollars.

Hyla predicted that the new promotion will be well-received by the players online, which is also expected to help boost “key performance metrics” for its partners. Finally, Wazdan’s chief commercial officer said: “Best of all, players can once again enjoy the chance to land exciting mystery prizes whilst playing their favorite Wazdan games – we can’t wait to get started!”

“We’re extremely excited to be launching Wazdan’s biggest ever network promotion yet.“

Andrzej Hyla, chief commercial officer at Wazdan

Wazdan’s recent statement reveals that the promotion is planned to start on May 15, 2023. After running for three months, August 15, 2023, is scheduled as the end date for Wazdan Breaks the Rules Mystery Drop network promotion. According to the innovative games provider, the promotion is entirely sponsored by itself and is available via its complete portfolio that surpasses 150 engaging slots.

Operators that want to participate in the unique network promotion can benefit from a free and seamless integration. This will help deliver different options for instant cash prizes for players that tap into Wazdan’s slots that include Hot Slot: 777 Cash Out, Hot Slot: 777 Rubies, 9 Coins, Fortune Reels, and Dwarf’s Fortune, among others.

The details about the upcoming promotion come after recently, Wazdan expanded its presence in Bulgaria, by agreeing to supply its games for 8888.bg, a leading operator within the region. This marked the company’s fifth agreement with a Bulgarian operator and helped it expand its presence in the country and on the Old Continent as well.

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Pragmatic Play, a leading iGaming content supplier, has announced that it will be doubling the annual prize pool of its popular Drops & Wins event. This year, the total prize pool will be a whopping €30,000,000 (around $33,000,000), the company said.

Drops & Wins is an annual promotion that takes entertainment in mind and channels Pragmatic Play’s energy and resources into an initiative where players can win extra prizes when playing their favorite slots or participating in tournaments. The company has been running Drops & Wins since 2020, with the initiative proving to be a resounding success.

In addition to doubling the total budget, Pragmatic Play announced that players will have the chance to win bigger than ever before when playing one of the game’s slots or live casino games.

Players can be looking forward to the largest prize pool in the industry and an enhanced gaming experience with our new promotional mechanics.

Pragmatic Play statement

The impressive prize pool means that a staggering €2,000,000 can now be won every month. Meanwhile, a monthly prize pool of €500,000 will be available across the company’s best live casino titles.

Drops & Wins Will Engage Players at No Added Cost

In addition to winning Daily Prize Drops, players will be able to compete against their peers. The top players in Pragmatic Play’s daily and weekly tournaments will earn extra prizes depending on their position on the leaderboard.

Drops & Wins will run from April 5, 2023, to March 6, 2024, providing players with a full year of exciting prizes. The company is excited to renew the initiative as attested by Irina Cornides, Pragmatic Play’s chief operating officer.

Cornides pointed out that the prize pool of €30,000,000 is entirely funded by the provider and is the largest of its kind. The best thing for operators is that there are no added integration costs to take part in Drops & Wins. The initiative, Cornides added, will help Pragmatic Play’s partners inspire loyalty among their players.

And with no extra cost or additional integration required to take part, we couldn’t have made it easier for our partners to boost player acquisition, engagement, and retention through Drops & Wins.

Irina Cornides, COO, Pragmatic Play

Pragmatic Play continues to boast a robust pipeline, producing several new slots each month. The company’s products are growing more and more popular among operators, as proven by the recent agreements the provider has been signing.

Pragmatic Play just expanded its presence in Brazil via a deal with Win Prêmios. Previously, the company launched some of its games with Swiss Casinos.

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