PHOENIX (July 15, 2011) – Yuma resident, Ted Gaffin, claimed the $1.9 million The Pick jackpot today from the drawing on Wednesday, July 13.

Gaffin purchased the winning QuickPick ticket at Lutes Casino, located at 221 S. Main Street in Yuma.

A loyal Arizona Lottery player, Gaffin purchases a ticket for every drawing of The Pick, as long as he is in town, and regularly checks his numbers by visiting www.ArizonaLottery.com.   

“I plan to use my winnings to assist a family member, pay off bills and donate some to charity,” said Gaffin. “And yes, I’ve already purchased The Pick tickets for Saturday’s draw!”

Gaffin is a certified public accountant and chose the annuity option, which he claimed in the name of his trust. He will receive $63,333.33 each year for 30 years.

“It was a thrill to award Mr. Gaffin with his prize at the Arizona Lottery Phoenix office today,” said Jeff Hatch-Miller, executive director of the Arizona Lottery. “As Arizona’s own jackpot game, it was especially rewarding to meet the lucky winner and hear how this win will significantly impact his life.”

Winning numbers for The Pick are broadcast Wednesdays and Saturdays during the 10 p.m. news on Channel 13 (CBS) in Tucson and posted on www.ABC15.com in Phoenix.

Players can check their numbers by logging onto www.ArizonaLottery.com or by calling the winning numbers hotline at 480-829-PICK in Phoenix and 1-800-499-3798 in all other Arizona areas.  Players can also opt-in to receive winning number text alerts by texting “AZLOT” to 411247.

Test your knowledge of the Lottery as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary!  Look for exciting new Scratchers games and, later this year, an opportunity to spin the prize wheel with Pat and Vanna!

Checkout the newest Scratchers available Tuesday, July 5:


 

Four by 4 – this $1 ticket offers a top prize of $800

Ink – this $1 ticket offers a top prize of $2,000

Cool Bill – this $2 ticket offers a top prize of $10,000

Cash Frenzy – this $5 ticket offers a top prize of $50,000

 

To see additional available Scratchers, click here.






 

Ask for a Trio, and you’ll get one Mega Millions, one Powerball, and one The Pick ticket. Three big jackpots in one quick purchase. Just say “Give me a Trio!”

It’s extremely gratifying to hand out checks every day to our players!
 

A Positive Attitude

June 15, 2011, turned out to be a very lucky day for a Scottsdale man when he scratched off a Deluxe Crossword Scratchers ticket and discovered he’d won $100,000. The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven located at 3912 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix 85018.

When he first scratched the ticket, and read the play instructions, he didn’t think there were enough red boards to be a big winner. After reviewing the ticket again, it finally registered, that he really was holding a ticket worth $100,000.

Our winner has definite plans for his winnings.  First on his list is to pay off his car, putting a down payment on a house, paying back a loan his parents gave him, and giving the clerk who sold him the winning ticket $1,000.                                  

To see more Lottery winners, click here.

30th Anniversary Fun Facts!

The Lottery began ticket sales July 1, 1981, with only one Scratchers ticket – Scratch It Rich.  The 21 million tickets sold out in only 10 days!

Also on July 1, 1981, Windfall Willie made his debut as the official Arizona Lottery Mascot. 

The Pick™ and Powerball® drawings are held Wednesday and Saturday evenings.  Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday evenings.  Fantasy 5™, CA$H4™, 2by2™, and Pick 3™ drawings are held Monday through Saturday evenings. 

Players can also check their numbers on this website or by calling the winning numbers hotline at 480-829-PICK in Phoenix and 1-800-499-3798 in all other Arizona areas.

Urbandale, Iowa – As Powerball® prepares to celebrate its 20^th year in 2012, the game is being redesigned to bring more value to its players. Jackpots will start at $40 million and the jackpot is being made easier to win. The overall odds of winning any prize are also easier, and there are more chances to win a prize of at least $1 million cash. The ticket price also will change, moving from $1 to $2. 

Since getting its start in April 1992 in 15 states with jackpots that started at a guaranteed $2 million, Powerball has grown into one of the world’s biggest and most recognizable lottery games. Today it’s played in 44 jurisdictions across the nation, with players buying more than $3 billion annually in Powerball tickets. And the biggest jackpot in the game so far was a $365 million prize split by eight co-workers at a Nebraska meat-packing plant in February 2006.

But with that success comes a demand for innovation to keep things fresh.  Alan Yandow, Vermont Lottery Executive Director and Powerball Group Chair, said lotteries are responding with the latest changes in Powerball.

“Frequently we hear from players suggesting that in addition to Powerball’s big jackpots, we give away more $1 million cash prizes,” Yandow said. “We’re excited to deliver the opportunity to create more millionaires and also provide more opportunities to raise additional revenues for the respected causes benefitted by lotteries.”

The enriched Powerball game will debut on January 15, 2012. Tickets in the game will cost $2 and the Power Play® multiplier feature will still be available for an extra $1 per play. For that extra $1, players have the chance to win $2 million cash for the match 5 prize.   

Players in the newly designed game will still choose their first five numbers from a pool of 59. But the group of numbers in the Powerball pool will shrink from 39 to 35, producing better overall odds of winning a prize in the game. Players today have a 1 in 35 overall chance of winning, which will improve to 1 in 31.8 in the revamped game. The Powerball jackpots will start at $40 million, double the current starting jackpot of $20 million.  

Yandow said that by changing Powerball’s ticket price to $2, U.S. lotteries are following the same successful business model they’ve used for years with lottery scratch games by offering various tickets at different prices. The Mega Millions® jackpot game and other in-state lotto and scratch games will still be available for those players who prefer the $1 price level of play.

The new Powerball game will still offer players nine ways to win prizes, with its second prize moving up to $1 million in cash from the current $200,000, and the lowest prize level (for those who match just the Powerball®) being elevated to $4 from $3.

Since Powerball’s inception on April 19, 1992, the game has generated approximately $33 billion in sales for lotteries that the game supports. About 25 percent of that amount goes to good causes such as education, economic development, healthcare, and the environment; 50 percent is paid in cash prizes and 6 1/2 percent goes back to local communities in the form of retailer compensation. Participating Powerball jurisdictions are expected to generate even more money for those good causes by selling the new Powerball game.