New Mexico Lottery Reminds Players to Sign Tickets at Purchase
ALBUQUERQUE – Strong ticket sales nationwide have pushed Wednesday’s Powerball® jackpot to $500 million, the game’s largest jackpot ever.
According to the New Mexico Lottery, the winner could elect to take the jackpot’s lump-sum pre-tax cash payment of $327.4 million.
New Mexico Lottery CEO Tom Romero said that New Mexico Lottery sales have been brisk.
“We are excited about the record jackpot and hope that good fortune lands in New Mexico,” Romero said, “This is already a win for the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program.”
Play it Smart
Since all lottery tickets are bearer instruments, Romero encouraged players to sign their tickets.
Romero also advised people playing in a pool with friends or co-workers to distribute copies of tickets to every member of the pool prior to the drawing. This will help minimize any conflicts about whether a winning ticket belongs to the pool or to the person who made the purchase on the group’s behalf.
The previous record Powerball jackpot was $365 million. It was won by co-workers from Indiana in February 2006.
Of the five Powerball jackpots won in the state, the record is $206.9 million. It was won by a pool of nine players from the Roswell area in September 2008.
Powerball drawings take place Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Tickets are $2 per play per draw and can be purchased until 8:00 p.m. MT for that night’s drawing. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are approximately 1 in 175 million. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 31.8.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
All profits from the sale of New Mexico Lottery games fund an in-state college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $539 million for education and more than 82,600 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.
Follow the New Mexico Lottery on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nmlottery) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMexicoLottery).