ALBUQUERQUE – Doug and Roberta Barnard of Rio Rancho claimed a $7.6 million Hot Lotto® jackpot from the New Mexico Lottery today.
“My budget for an anniversary gift just went way up,” Doug Barnard joked. The Barnards will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in December.
In Saturday’s drawing, the Barnards’ quick-pick ticket matched the winning numbers of 2, 4, 29, 38, 41 and the Hot Ball of 7. The odds of winning a Hot Lotto jackpot are 1 in 29 million.
Doug Barnard, who began playing Hot Lotto for the first time about two weeks ago, had no idea the jackpot had been hit until this morning when he checked his tickets with the winning numbers posted at the lottery’s website.
“I thought ‘Okay, what do I do now,’” he told lottery officials in Albuquerque.
He texted his wife.
“The text read, ‘Call me. Big news,’” Roberta Barnard said. “I didn’t even know he had bought tickets.”
After they pay off the mortgage to their home and buy a new car, the Barnards said the money will be invested.
The Barnards purchased their lucky ticket at Brewer Oil Sandia Shell No 100 located at 7801 Carr Way in Rio Rancho. For selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the store is eligible for a $10,000 New Mexico Lottery bonus.
This is the New Mexico Lottery’s sixth and largest Hot Lotto jackpot.
- 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.
Hot Lotto is played in 16 lotteries. In Hot Lotto, the jackpot advertised in stores and other venues is the after-tax sum. Jackpots start at $1 million and increase by at least $50,000 per drawing until someone wins. In addition to the jackpot, there are eight other prize levels.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
The sale of New Mexico Lottery games funds a college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised more than $572 million for public education and more than 82,600 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program is available at www.nmlottery.com.
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