Powerball Jackpot
Lottery fans and well-wishers mobbed Reeds Ferry Market in Merrimack, New Hampshire on Sunday morning, after it was revealed to be the shop that sold the first Powerball-winning ticket since Wednesday 25th October 2017. The crowd were eager to find out more about the Granite State’s biggest ever lottery winner and to congratulate shop owner Sam Safa.
Safa told the press that he hopes the winner is a regular customer at the store, which sits between state capital Concord and Boston, Massachusetts. He admitted to being “very excited and overwhelmed”, telling reporters that the store had helped crown many winners previously, but nothing to match the scale of the most recent prize.
The player, who has a year to come forward and claim their prize, is the third biggest single-ticket Powerball winner since the game began, after matching the winning numbers 12, 29, 30, 33 and 61 with Powerball 26.
Mega Millions Jackpot
Friday night saw the fourth-largest Mega Millions jackpot, and the first since changes were made to the game in October 2017, won on a line bought at a 7-Eleven in Port Richey. The Florida city, which boasts a population of less than 3,000 and was once home to country singer Johnny Cash, has been buzzing with excitement over the weekend, with locals keen to learn the identity of their latest multimillionaire.
They follow in the footsteps of Donna Aloi, a local woman who picked up $24.1 million on Florida Lotto in 2001. When contacted by Fox 13 News, Aloi had some words of advice for this weekend’s winner, telling them “Whatever you do, just remember money is not gonna buy happiness, that’s like the most important thing.”
Friday’s winner matched the winning Mega Millions line 28, 30, 39, 59 and 70 with Mega Ball 10.
World’s Biggest Jackpot
After both of the major American lotteries’ paid out their jackpots, the hunt for the world’s biggest prize focuses on Italy, where SuperEnalotto has €81.6 million (£72.2 million) on offer this evening. Close behind is the €37 million (£32 million) EuroMillions grand prize and Australia Powerball, which is worth AU$55 million (£31.8 million).
You can buy lottery tickets from local retailers in the jurisdictions in which the games are based, whilst overseas players can pick their numbers online, wherever they live. Good luck!
