All-Cash Jackpot; Increases to Other Prizes
ALBUQUERQUE – Changes are coming to Hot Lotto®.
The New Mexico Lottery announced today that Hot Lotto jackpot winners will win the entire advertised cash amount starting with the May 15 drawing.
The advertised jackpot will reflect the after-tax sum. In New Mexico, 6 percent in state tax and 25 percent in federal tax will be deducted from all lottery prizes of $5,000 or more. The option to take a Hot Lotto jackpot in equal payments over 24 years will be discontinued.
In other changes, five of the game’s eight non-jackpot prizes will increase. For example, the prize for matching five white balls will go up from $10,000 to $30,000.
To make these enhancements, the game’s mix of numbers will change. Players will pick five numbers ranging from 1 to 47, up from 1 to 39. The number of red balls will remain the same at 1 through 19.
The game’s overall odds will increase from approximately 1 in 16 to 1 in 17. The odds of winning a jackpot will increase from 1 in 11 million to 1 in 29 million.
The price of a ticket will remain $1 per play.
Five Hot Lotto Jackpots Won in New Mexico
Since joining Hot Lotto in 2006, the New Mexico Lottery has landed five jackpots.
- Edward Boyd of Farmington took one half of a $2 million jackpot shared with a player in Minnesota in August 2007.
- David C. Fort of Albuquerque won a $5.6 million jackpot in February 2008.
- Aurbra King of Elida won a $1.1 million jackpot in November 2009.
- Bill and Janet Swann of Ruidoso and daughters Lisa Swann and Stacey Swann of Austin, Texas won a $3.54 million jackpot in January 2010.
- Robert Platt of Albuquerque won a $1.54 million jackpot in April 2012.
The game’s record jackpot of $19.97 million was won by an Iowa resident in January 2007.
Hot Lotto is played in 16 lotteries. The starting jackpot is $1 million. Drawings are Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Tickets can be purchased on drawing nights up to 8 p.m. Mountain Time.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
Since its inception in 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $560 million for education and more than 82,600 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships.
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).