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Lottery

New Hampshire trolls Massachusetts in lottery ad: ‘The no-good Massachusetts Tax Shark… stealing all our lottery winnings’

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As the Powerball jackpot continues to spike well above $1 billion, Bay Staters who live near the New Hampshire border may want to consider heading over the state line for a lottery ticket.

That’s the message from the New Hampshire Lottery, which in a new ad trolls Massachusetts — warning of the prowling Bay State “Tax Shark” that devours lotto winnings.

The 30-second ad features a Massachusetts lottery winner who learns her winnings will be subject to additional state taxes.

The ad campaign airing on WMUR-TV, streaming TV and New Hampshire radio stations starts with the excited Massachusetts resident — who’s wearing a Boston shamrock hoodie — looking at a lotto ticket.

“I’m a millionaire! Thanks Mass Lottery!” she yells in a classic Boston accent.

Then she hears a knock at the door.

“Yeah? Who is it?” she asks.

“Pizza,” the unknown visitor responds, as ominous Jaws-like music starts.

“Nobody ordered a pizza,” she responds.

Then it hits her, “You’re the no-good Massachusetts Tax Shark that’s been swimming around stealing all our lottery winnings… Oh, get out of here!”

When the door opens, a massive shark chomps her.

The ad goes on to tell lottery players that in Massachusetts, the state will take an extra 9% from winners.

“Instead, live free and play in New Hampshire, where your income and lottery winnings are always free of state taxes,” the ad says.

As the Massachusetts resident continues to be chomped on by the shark, she says, “I’m going to send you back to Martha’s Vineyard.”

Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot is now up to an estimated $1.2 billion, and the one-time cash payout would be $551.7 million.

In New Hampshire, 24% of the $551.7 million, about $132.4 million, would be automatically withheld from the prize for federal taxes.  Because New Hampshire does not have an income tax, no further taxes would be withheld from the prize.

In Massachusetts, the same 24% in federal taxes would be withheld, plus the prize would be subject to the state’s 5% withholding, worth about $27.5 million on Wednesday’s prize.

And then, New Hampshire chortles, an additional 4% would be taken through the millionaire’s tax, according to the Granite State lottery.

“New Hampshire is the best place to play and WIN with millions in tax savings,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. “Unlike other states, we’ve kept that Tax Shark at bay here in the Granite State — so save yourself millions and remember to purchase and play here in the 603!”

Massachusetts’ millionaire’s tax creates a 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million.

However, a spokesperson for the Mass State Lottery said in a statement about the millionaire’s tax implications that, “The Fair Share Amendment applies to a person’s total income, not a single prize claim. The Mass Lottery does not withhold additional taxes on prizes that could subject a person to this ‘millionaire’s tax’ based on their entire tax filing.”

Mass. Lottery posts record profits

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In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the Massachusetts Lottery brought in more revenue than ever before, paid out more in prizes than any previous year, and expects to return a record high profit of $1.176 billion for the state to dole out to all 351 communities as local aid, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and the Lottery Commission announced Tuesday.

Fiscal year 2023 saw the Lottery haul in $6.131 billion in sales revenue, surpassing the $6 billion mark for the first time in the Lottery’s 51-year existence and topping the previous record of $5.863 billion set in fiscal 2022 by about $268 million. Contributing to that pile were record-high scratch ticket sales ($4.043 billion) and record-high Keno sales ($1.226 billion).

After accounting for an estimated $4.483 billion in prizes, which bested the previous high of $4.309 billion paid out in fiscal 2022, paying a record high $350 million in commissions and bonuses to retailers, and covering administrative costs that equaled about 2 percent of revenue, the Lottery expects to be left with the record $1.176 billion in net profit. That’s enough to overtake the previous record of $1.112 billion set in fiscal 2021.

It is also enough to beat the projected $1 billion in net profit that Goldberg and Lottery officials told state lawmakers they could expect the Lottery to generate for local aid in fiscal 2023. Based on that lower projection, the fiscal 2023 budget included $1.231 billion in unrestricted general government aid. The Lottery’s higher actual total could be a boon for cities and towns, which are waiting for state lawmakers to finish work and release funds associated with an annual road and bridge maintenance bill, and to finalize other key local aid accounts in the fiscal 2024 state budget.

“I am proud of the performance of our team and want to thank our retail partners and our customers as we face mounting challenges in the marketplace,” Goldberg said. “Because of everyone’s efforts, we are able to meet our mission of providing critical local aid to all 351 communities in the state.”

With residents showing a steady willingness to shell out their money for a chance to win big, Goldberg has long supported making the Lottery’s offerings available online and this year the Massachusetts House added online Lottery authorization to its fiscal 2024 budget. The Senate rejected the idea, which House officials estimate will produce $200 million in new revenue, and the measure is tied up in prolonged and private budget negotiations.

The fiscal 2023 numbers will still need to be audited, but Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken said he does not expect them to change substantially by the time the audit is completed in September.

Sales of scratch tickets, which generally account for 65 to 70 percent of all Lottery sales, totaled a record $4.043 billion, up 3 percent over the previous year. Bracken said the Lottery’s February launch of a $50 scratch ticket bolstered instant ticket sales as the “Billion Dollar Extravaganza” ticket accounted for more than half a billion dollars in sales.

The multi-state draw games also helped push the Mass. Lottery into record-setting territory last fiscal year. With two jackpots that rose above $1 billion, Mega Millions sales of $159.5 million were 116 percent ahead of fiscal 2022 and $169.7 million in sales for Powerball, which had its first-ever $2 billion jackpot in November, was up 31 percent, the Lottery said.

Lottery players won 145 prizes worth $1 million or more in fiscal year 2023, including Mega Millions jackpots of $33 million and $31 million.

The Lottery on Tuesday also provided an update on the usage of its mobile ticket-cashing app, which launched in September 2021 to allow players to claim prizes worth between $601 and $5,000 remotely. Through the end of fiscal year 2023, the Lottery said, players had claimed 66,543 prizes totaling more than $87 million through the app. By not having to go to a Lottery claim center to collect their winnings, players saved more than $500,000 in gasoline costs and facilitated a 2.5 million pound reduction in carbon emissions, the Lottery said.

Since selling its first ticket in 1972, the Mass. Lottery has generated more than $149 billion in revenue, paid out more than $105 billion in prizes, returned more than $32 billion in net profit to be used as unrestricted local aid, and paid more than $8.5 billion in commissions and bonuses to its network of retailers across the state.

Powerball, Mega Millions barrel towards record highs, hit combined $1.5B

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The Powerball jackpot hit a sky-high estimated $900 million jackpot following Saturday’s winner-less drawing, just as the Mega Millions hit $640 million — only the third time ever both jackpots broke $600 million simultaneously.

“Numbers like this are crazy,” said Ted Griffith, walking away from a Jamaica Plain 7-Eleven counter with his tickets Sunday morning. “I had to try my luck.”

The combined total of the major lotteries is now an estimated $1.54 billion. The next Powerball drawing will happen Monday night. The next Mega Millions takes place Tuesday.

The Powerball cash option would be $465.1 million. The Mega Millions cash prize is $328 million.

The Powerball jackpot is the game’s third largest jackpot ever, following $2.04 billion won by a California ticketholder in November 2022 and $1.586 billion won by ticketholders in California, Florida and Tennessee in 2016.

The $900 million jackpot has built up through 38 drawings, since the last winner received $252.6 million in April.

The Mega Millions jackpot is the game’s fifth largest prize, following four jackpots over $1 billion. The games highest jackpot hit $1.537 billion, awarded to a South Carolina ticketholder in 2018.

The second largest was awarded to a Maine ticketholder in January, reaching $1.35 billion.

Tuesday’s will be the 26th Mega Millions drawing since a $20 million prize was won in April.

“I don’t normally gamble really, often,” said Carol Kepler, heading in to buy a Powerball ticket. “But it’s more fun when the prizes get high.”

“As the excitement surrounding these jackpots increases, we remind people to keep the experience enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means,” Mark William Bracken, Interim Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery, said in a statement.

Players can purchase Powerball tickets for $2 until 9:50 p.m. Monday for the next drawing. Mega Millions tickets can be purchased for $2 until 10:45 p.m. Tuesday for the next drawing.

Historic Mega Millions jackpot breaks $1B

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The Mega Millions lottery jackpot has reached $1.1 billion dollars ahead of Tuesday’s drawing — making it potentially the third largest Mega Millions prize and the fifth largest lottery prize in U.S lottery history.

The historic jackpot is the third prize to break a billion in under a year, with a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot going to a Illinois resident on July 29 and a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot — the largest jackpot ever won — going to a California ticketholder on Nov. 7.

“When playing Mega Millions and other lottery games, we encourage people to keep the experience enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means,” said Mark William Bracken, Interim Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Lottery.

The Massachusetts State Lottery directs anyone concerned about problem gambling to the Massachusetts helpline, (800) 327-5050.

The jackpot has been building since Oct. 14, when the $502 million prize was split between ticketholders in California and Florida.

The next drawing will take place on Tuesday night. If no winner is found, another will take place on Friday.

Powerball ticket sold in California snags record $2.04B win

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By STEFANIE DAZIO and SCOTT McFETRIDGE (Associated Press)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize.

The winning numbers were selected Tuesday morning, nearly 10 hours after the scheduled Monday night drawing because of problems processing sales data at one of the game’s member lotteries. Lottery officials acknowledged the unprecedented delay for such a high-profile drawing but said the game’s security process took precedence.

“Protecting the integrity of the draw is of utmost importance, and we were able to do that during this historic drawing with the cooperation of all participating lotteries,” said Drew Svitko, the chairman of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Minnesota Lottery acknowledged their sales verification system caused the lengthy delay.

The winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball was 10.

The jackpot ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, an unincorporated community in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles. For selling the winning ticket, business owner Joe Chahayed will receive a maximum Powerball bonus of $1 million.

“I’m very surprised. Very excited. Very happy,” said Chahayed, who wore a bright yellow California Lottery shirt and cap.

Chahayed said he didn’t know who won the giant prize but hopes it’s someone local.

“I wish I knew the person but most people who buy tickets from me are from the neighborhood. I hope one of them will be the winner,” he said.

Chahayed said he would spend his $1 million on his five children and donate some to the community.

Under California rules, the name of the winner must be disclosed but no other information, including the winner’s address, has to be be made public.

Thomas Murrell said he had stopped at Joe’s Tuesday morning with the intention of buying gas and $200 worth of Powerball tickets, in case no one had won the giant jackpot.

“I know Joe. I’ve known him for years and talk to him all the time,” Murrell said. “Joe’s always been a lucky guy. He’s a good guy. I’m not surprised it happened here.”

The $2.04 billion jackpot was by far the largest lottery prize ever won, topping the previous record $1.586 billion prize won by three Powerball ticketholders in 2016. Only four previous jackpots have topped $1 billion, but none of those are close to the current prize, which started at $20 million back on Aug. 6 and has grown over three winless months. No one has won the jackpot since Aug. 3.

The jackpot was initially reported as an estimated $1.9 billion on Monday, but the prize was increased to $2.04 billion Tuesday morning after updated calculations.

The Multi-State Lottery Association said the scheduled drawing was delayed from 10:59 p.m. EST Monday to 8:57 EST a.m. Tuesday because a participating lottery wasn’t able to process its sales data. After Minnesota completed its pre-draw procedures, the drawing was able to go ahead.

Marie Hinton, a Minnesota Lottery spokeswoman, said the lottery was reviewing what happened and hoped to report its findings by Wednesday.

Terry Rich, a former director of the Iowa Lottery who also served on the Powerball board, said the delay was likely due to a two-part verification system of ticket sales that makes use of an outside vendor to ensure all is in order before the game’s numbers are drawn.

“Each state must verify through a dual process that all of the sales and dollars match before the Multi-State Lottery Association can do the draw,” said Rich, who headed the Iowa Lottery for 10 years and was president of the North American Lottery Association. “This is a state-by-state procedure, which separates the whole process and has been very effective.”

Rich said state lotteries deal with similar problems several times a year but the delays usually don’t attract much attention because the potential jackpots are far less than was up for grabs this week.

The winning numbers and recorded video of the drawing were posted to the Powerball’s YouTube channel.

The $2.04 billion prize is for a winner who chooses an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Nearly all winners instead opt for cash, which was valued at $997.6 million.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

The game is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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McFetridge reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

Powerball hype catches on in Massachusetts before Saturday’s $1.6 billion drawing

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The hype surrounding Powerball, which has carried a jackpot of more than $1 billion this week, has surely caught on locally.

Powerball ticket sales across the state have brought in more than $24 million so far this week heading into Saturday’s $1.6 billion drawing, the largest jackpot in U.S. history, said Christian Teja, director of communications for the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

That’s more than double the sales from last week, which had nine times the amount the week before.

Saturday’s drawing carries a $782.4 million cash option.

The $2 tickets can continue to be purchased at Mass Lottery retailers until 9:50 p.m. Saturday before the drawing at 10:59 p.m.. Teja on Friday said he expects Saturday to be the biggest day for sales of this drawing.

To win the full estimated jackpot, all five white numbers must match plus the red Powerball, and the chances of winning are one in 292 million. There’s been a string of 39 consecutive drawings since Powerball was last won in August.

If there’s a winner in Massachusetts, he or she would be taking home $929.1 million after taxes if they decide to take annual payments over 30 years. The first year would be $14 million and the final year $57.5 million, according to usamega.com.

In Monday’s $1 billion drawing, nine tickets sold in Massachusetts won $50,000 by matching four out of five numbers plus the Powerball, according to the State Lottery Commission.

The new $1.6 billion jackpot tops the previous record prize of $1.5 billion won in 2016 by three Powerball players in California, Florida and Tennessee.

A $758.7 million Powerball jackpot is the largest ever won in Massachusetts, with the winning on a ticket sold in Chicopee in 2017.