LottoSecrets.NET » Florida Lotto

Florida Lotto

Matt Werden — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:57:21 +0000

The sunshine state has to offer another gleaming proposition in the form of a Florida lottery. Apart from making profits and the byproducts of millionaires, the board of lottery had a noble thought in their mind. Helping out the education system of Florida State with partial profit of the earnings from the lottery.

The constitutional amendment was approved in this regard on 12th. Of January 1988 even though the initiative started towards this direction in1986 itself. It was decide that the lottery should give the extra funding needed for the states education a substantial amount from revenues received from sales of tickets. This program is aptly named as Bright Features Scholarship program.

The launch was so successful that the lottery was able to generate considerable amount so that they can look forward comfortably to pay back with interest the initial payments of US$15.5 million to Floridas general revenue funding.

Sheelah Ryano became at that time of point the highest winner of single jackpot of US$ 55.16 Million. During the course of time many new games were administrated into the lottery. Barbara Arens was the lucky woman to receive the first life $2 scratch – of game prize, which provided her US$1000 per week for the rest of her life. There was only once in the history of this lottery that a ticket went unclaimed. In September 8th 2003, one ticket was nullified since no body claimed 180 day dead line. That ticket was worth $53.7 million!!

In 1997 the Bright Futures scholarship program was launched with revenue received from Florida lottery and was to follow example of the Hope scholarship. In the beginning this program could help just about 42,000 scholarships for $70 millions, but a sizable change was occurred in last one decade, since the lottery could contribute $436.1 million towards the scholarships while a 17,000 strong student force taking advantage of this magnanimous lottery. The lotteries contribution cannot be seen as small effort, because this amount would have taxed upon the public to accumulate funds to run the public education system.

Indeed it was a blessing in disguise. This helping hand reaching out not only K12 schools but also all sphere of education system. This noble idea of helping the students and schools giving the lottery an aura filled with sanctity, usually not attached with other lotteries.

Florida Lotto commemorated its 10th anniversary on January 1998. The lottery has aggregated US$ 21 billion in sales and contributed US $8 billion to Bright Futures contribution Program. By any standards those figures speak volumes. As the saying goes “a kind deed is better than 1000 prayers”.

This Super lotto has taught the people to dream big. Before the arrival of this lottery a million dollars seemed out of reach of common man. But this lottery opened them a new path where dreams became a reality. It is a fact that every ticket cannot win a prize. Fate plays different ways unknown to human beings and makes some ticket to lose and others win. But when you purchase a ticket of Florida lotto, you can make sure that, the fate of a student is secured; with your money spend on a ticket.

Iowa lottery game moves to Florida

Bill — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:13:31 +0000

Powerball TV show host Mike Pace’s number is just about up.

Pace, who has been the national TV face of the multistate lottery game that started as Lotto America in 1987 and morphed to Powerball in 1992, will call out his last winning numbers at a West Des Moines studio in January.

After that, he’ll hang up the tuxedo.

“It’s been a great part-time job. It really has,” said Pace, whose minute-long appearance is beamed to nearly 100 TV stations nationwide that broadcast Powerball live drawings on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. “One of my friends in the business said this is the horse that you ride till it dies.” Actually, in this case, the horse in question isn’t dying. It’s moving to Florida.

Earlier this year, the Powerball Group board and the Urbandale-based Multi-State Lottery Association announced Florida agreed to become the 32nd lottery to add Powerball to its mix. And to coincide with that Jan. 4 launch, the drawings were being moved to the Sunshine State.

Once Florida becomes the 30th state, along with the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, to join Powerball, the game’s population base will swell to 125.6 million potential players.

Ed Stanek, co-creator of Powerball and the former head of the Iowa Lottery, said Powerball officials had been in stiff competition with operators of the Mega Millions game to land either California or Florida. He presumed moving the televised drawings was part of the deal to sway Florida to join Powerball.

“The one thing that’s inevitable in the lottery business is change, and this is a change that apparently my colleagues believe was in the best interest of the game, and I have a lot of confidence in their judgment,” he said.

Mary Neubauer, spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, said discussions already had been under way about updating the TV show with a new set design. Once Florida expressed interest in joining Powerball and having the televised drawings held there, the move became a natural offshoot, she said.

“We were part of the vote to have the drawings move to Florida, and we’re comfortable with that decision,” she said. There is no plan to move the Multi-State Lottery’s headquarters from Iowa, she said, because that would be a larger, more complicated change.

No decision has been made on the new host or hostess when Powerball’s televised drawings originate from Florida Jan. 7, but Pace is certain it won’t be him.

“I’m an Iowa guy,” he said. Pace said he had not been approached about the Florida gig, but “I probably would not have said yes anyway.” Pace, a longtime Des Moines media fixture who has been a broadcast host, on-camera commercial and corporate spokesman, actor, model, video producer, vocalist and voice-over person, said he’s experienced occasional celebrity status from his lottery drawing cameos.

“The interesting thing about that is about the time you think everybody knows you, even close to home here in Des Moines, you get your feelings hurt if you expect everybody to know you because the guy in the Kwik Trip never heard of you,” he said.

“On the other hand, you get surprised,” he added. “I’ve been in Colorado and Las Vegas and lots of different places, and someone will say ‘Aren’t you the Powerball guy?’ ” Probably the most memorable shows over his 20-plus years with the lottery have been the live drawings when hundreds of millions of dollars were at stake, Pace said.

“We had ABC, NBC, CBS, Time magazine, CNN in the studio — that’ll get your heart rate up a little bit with a live drawing,” he said.

One upside of ending his association with Powerball, Pace said, is that he and his wife will be able to buy lottery tickets and play the game.

“I intend to win it,” he said. “My wife and I have never been able to play. My son can play, and my mother can play. I always thought it would be kind of hard to explain my mother winning $300 million, but I guess I never thought it would be a big problem.” Pace said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll do something special to make his final appearance on the Jan. 3 drawing.

“I’ve kidded around about shaving my head and putting on an earring, but I don’t suppose I will,” he said.

Source:http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Powerball-091408

Elderly Couple Loses $5K In Lotto Scam

Matt Werden — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:35:29 +0000

A man claiming to be an illegal immigrant and a woman who said she needed money for a surgical procedure scammed an elderly man and woman out of $5,000, DeLand police said.

According to the DeLand Police Department, the elderly man was shopping at Freshco Supermarket in Orange City when he was approached by a Hispanic man and woman.The woman solicited money for a surgical procedure she said she needed, and the man said he could pay the money back if they would help him cash a winning lottery ticket, DeLand police said. The man said he was an illegal immigrant and was therefore unable to claim the winnings, according to police.

The couple was driven to the Bank of America in DeLand, where they withdrew $5,000 and gave it to the man and woman, police said.DeLand police released a surveillance image of the culprits and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the duo, who could face charges of exploitation of the elderly.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Source: http://www.local6.com/news/17389249/detail.html

Lotto Fever Eases In Hernando

Matt Werden — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:19:26 +0000

BROOKSVILLE – Frankie Dee of Spring Hill plays his lucky Lotto numbers religiously, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

It’s a $10-a-week ritual the owner of the Frankie Dee New York Orchestra has practiced for years, and one that hasn’t stopped because of higher prices at the gas pump or grocery store checkout line.

He’s won a few free tickets but never any money.

“You never know,” Dee said as he pumped gas into his Chevy SUV at the Hess station at State Road 50 and the truck bypass in Brooksville. “You got to be in it to win it, as they say.”

Judging from sales figures, many people in the state of Florida and in other parts of the country are taking the same attitude.

Some of Dee’s fellow Hernando County residents, though, might be cutting back some.

The statewide sales totals for 2008 fiscal year that ended June 30 hit nearly $4.23 billion. That’s nearly $32 million more than last fiscal year and a new record.

In Hernando County, however, total lottery sales in the 2008 fiscal year came in at $40.7 million, a difference of about $590,000 less than in 2007.

Sales tend to be seasonal and also fluctuate with limited-time promotions, new games and with the regular Lotto jackpot amounts, said Jackie Barreiros, spokeswoman for the Florida Lottery.

But the trend in Florida is also happening in other states. Lotteries in Pennsylvania and Connecticut set records this past fiscal year. Sales figures for the Illinois Lottery were up nearly 3 percent.

Illinois Lottery Superintendent Jodie Winnett said last month the state is planning to start a study on trends of lottery play during tough economic times.

Psychologist Nancy M. Petry, a professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center and the director of its Gambling Treatment and Research Center, told the Hartford Courant last month hard economic times are often a trigger to gamble.

“Financial uncertainty plays a large role in the whole gambling mentality,” Petry said. “We actually hear a lot of our patients say, ‘This dollar isn’t going to buy much gas or food anyway, so why not throw my money at the lottery in the hopes of getting something more?’”

Back in Florida, some behaviors have changed, Barreiros said.

“When players come in to redeem a winning ticket instead of putting it toward or exchanging it for another ticket, they are more frequently asking for the cash back or putting the cash toward their gas bill,” she said.

Scott Houts, a 50-year-old Crystal River resident and a metal worker who works in Brooksville, said he stopped playing because “money’s tight.”

“Everything’s going up,” said Houts before putting gas in his Ford Tempo at the Brooksville Hess station.

Now, he said, the extra few dollars a week that went to lottery tickets are “going in the tank.”

Harry Schryver of Brooksville has been playing his lucky numbers and scratch off tickets for years. The semi-retired maintenance worker said he used to play for the money, but now it’s about entertainment.

“If I spend $10 and get $5 back, I’m happy,” he said before walking into the Hess station to cash in $16 worth of scratch off tickets.

Source: TBO.com

Florida Lotto Jackpot on the Rise

Matt Werden — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:13:55 +0000

The base jackpot in the Florida Lotto game has grown to $20 million after no one matched the six winning numbers in the latest drawing, lottery officials said Sunday.

A total of 73 tickets matched five numbers to win $5,878.00 each; 4,427 tickets matched four numbers for $78.50 each; and 96,828 tickets matched three numbers for $5 each.

The winning Florida Lotto numbers selected Saturday: 06-12-22-23-49-51.

Source: http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/27720919.html

Related Blogs

Melbourne ticket splits $30M Lotto jackpot

Matt Werden — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:26:14 +0000

MELBOURNE — He didn’t win the big prize, but that didn’t stop Gary Danley from buying a Florida Lotto ticket at the Circle K where one of the two winning tickets for a $30 million payday was sold.

The winning tickets were bought in Poinciana and at the Circle K at 4420 West New Haven Ave. in Melbourne, officials said.

A total of 119 tickets matched five numbers to win $4,233.50 each; 7,182 tickets matched four numbers for $57 each; and 134,494 tickets matched three numbers for $4 each.

The winning Florida Lotto numbers selected Wednesday: 5-7-13-26-27-52.

At the Circle K on West New Haven Ave., others were hoping Thursday the luck might rub off on them as well.

“I buy my tickets here all the time,” the 58-year-old Melbourne resident said today. “I’m just glad someone here is getting the prize.”

The winners, who must claim the prize in Tallahassee, will split a $30 million jackpot. The names have not been released.

“They have 180-days to make a claim,” said Keeta Ray, a Florida Lotto official.
A total of 119 tickets were sold with five matching numbers, netting the ticket holders $4,233.50 each.

Jason Hansel, the manager of the Circle K, said he was pleased that the ticket was sold at his store. Behind the counter, he bantered with customers and gladly shared the news about the win.

“We get a lot of regulars here,” Hansel said, telling another customer that the winning ticket was sold at his store.

“I think this is great!”

Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080814/BREAKINGNEWS/80814011/1006/news01

Related Blogs

Largo Man Snares Top Summer Lottery Prize

Matt Werden — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:38:13 +0000

BRANDON – David Parsons stuffed the Summer Cash Florida Lottery ticket into his wallet when he bought it two weeks ago and never gave it much thought after that. The drawing was Aug. 6.

On Sunday, he pulled the ticket out and glanced at the numbers. He glanced again.

“I thought I was going to stare those numbers right off the ticket,” he said moments before was handed a check for $250,000, minus taxes, at the lottery office on U.S. 301 this morning.

The 61-year-old machinery salesman from Largo said he won’t retire early, “but I might not work as hard,” he said.

He plans to pay some medical bills, which came about because of an incident in March on the Pinellas Trail. He said he was rollerblading and was sideswiped by a passing bicyclist. He fell hard on his hip and was in the hospital for eight days, he said. He needed the help of a walker for eight weeks.

But all that was behind him as he grinned and chatted with lottery office workers while the paperwork was prepared this morning. Some friends and family sat in the waiting room, grinning just as widely.

Parsons said he plans to take a vacation this year and maybe travel to Japan.

“I’ll be able to buy some souvenirs,” he said.

He said he took a chance on the $5 ticket for the new Summer Cash game’s Aug. 6 drawing, making his purchase at a 7-Eleven on Belcher Road in Largo. The $250,000 was the top prize. The other prizes — there were five — promised gasoline for life for the winners.

Mike Purcell, district manager for the Florida Lottery’s office in Brandon, said the Summer Cash game has had five drawings, and three of the top prizes were snared by players in the Tampa Bay area.

“Tampa is lucky,” Purcell said.

Source: http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/content/2008/aug/12/largo-man-snares-top-summer-lottery-prize/

Related Blogs

Florida lottery jackpot at $30M for Wednesday drawing

Matt Werden — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:05:42 +0000

NAPLES — The Florida Lotto jackpot has rolled over seven times – for a total of $30 million for Wednesday’s drawing.

For $2, players have the chance at $40 million; and for $3, players may win $55 million! The next Florida Lotto drawing is Wednesday, August 13, at 11 p.m. Get more information at flalottery.com

This series of rollovers began with the July 19 drawing when the estimated jackpot rolled from $3 million to $6 million.

The Florida Lotto jackpots are the highest single-state jackpots in the nation today among the 43 state lotteries. The Florida Lotto $55 million jackpot surpasses the multi-state lottery game, Powerball.

The highest jackpot since Florida Lotto began in 1988 was for $106.5 million on September 15, 1990, and resulted in six winning tickets. The second highest jackpot was on December 14, 2002, when four tickets split a $104.85 million jackpot.

Florida Lotto jackpot prizes are paid in 30 annual installments or as a one-time, lump-sum payment. Florida Lotto winners who purchase the $2 and/or $3 play may choose separate payment options for the base jackpot and the bonus jackpot prize.

Wednesday’s Florida Lotto drawing is expected to generate more than $21.2 million for public education in Florida.