News writer
Halloween is a time for everyone to dress up in their favorite costumes and for the kids to go trick or treating. While it may be a spooky time of the year, playing and winning the lottery could switch that thinking all the way around.
So, as we celebrate this scary holiday, let's take a look at Mega Millions, Powerball, and other popular state lottery games to see if anyone has had luck with the lottery during one of the scariest holidays of the year.
Did anyone ever win the Powerball drawing on Halloween night?
Powerball players have seen nine drawings fall directly on Halloween night since the game debuted in 1992.
In those nine drawings, we actually saw one jackpot won on Halloween night. It took place on Saturday, October 31, 1998. The jackpot was an estimated $46 million, and after the drawing took place, one ticket from Rhode Island and one ticket from Wisconsin split the jackpot.
Since Halloween 2024 falls on a Thursday night this year, there is no Powerball drawing tonight, so no winner can be crowned on Halloween this year.
Has someone ever won the Mega Millions lottery drawing on Halloween?
For the Mega Millions drawings, there have been eight drawings that fell on Halloween night since the game debuted in 1996. However, there has not been one jackpot winner crowned on this spooky holiday.
There is an interesting story when it comes to Mega Millions and Halloween drawings. In 2014, a group of 17 co-workers from the hit show Elementary pooled their money together to buy some Mega Millions tickets.
The lotto club ended up matching all five of the white balls drawn that night, just missing out on the Mega Ball, to win $1 million. The group of transportation department employees had been playing the same numbers for three years, but on October 31, 2014, they came up, and the group ended up claiming their lump sum payment of $661,800 shortly afterward.
The winning white ball numbers for that drawing were 11, 29, 36, 58, and 67, and the Mega Ball number was 15.
Any success for Lotto America drawings on Halloween?
The new Lotto America debuted in 2017, replacing Hot Lotto at the time. Since that debut, the draw game has featured three drawings that fell on Halloween night. The night continues to not be so lucky for players, as no jackpot winners have been crowned on this spooky night.
No Halloween luck for California or Florida players
Over in California, their big in-state draw game is SuperLotto Plus. While the actual drawing took place 11 times on Halloween night, it didn't bring any luck to the players. No winners have been crowned on this eerie evening, and that won't change in 2024, as the drawing will not be held tonight.
In Florida, the Florida Lotto has been giving lottery players in the state a chance to win big money since 1988. Since that time, there have been nine drawings that fell on Halloween night. The state only has winner data available, dating back to 2009, which shows there have been no Halloween night winners on this game either.
Friday the 13th has brought some luck to lottery players
While Halloween night doesn't seem to bring that much luck to lottery players, Friday the 13th, a day known for being unlucky, has had the opposite effect on players!
On January 13, 2023, one lucky ticket in Maine won the Mega Millions drawing for that night. The jackpot that night — $1.35 billion!
In addition, lottery players in Michigan have had some big time success playing Mega Millions on Friday the 13th. The state has seen four jackpot winners, totaling $171 million in winnings, on an unlucky day.
Those jackpot wins took place on June 13, 2008 ($57 million for a Kent City man), May 13, 2011 ($27 million for a Kalamazoo man), June 13, 2014 ($66 million for a Port Huron woman), and October 13, 2017 ($21 million for a Waterford man).
While the spooky night is all about trick-or-treating and getting candy, lottery players try to get their own treats every year. It hasn't been a huge success, but maybe tonight will be different.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
Comments