One North Texan got an early Christmas present this year thanks to a scratch ticket.
The Mesquite resident, who has chosen to remain anonymous, bought the winning Millionaire Maker scratch-off from Mr. Joe’s Food Mart in the 2900 block of Motley Drive in Mesquite.
The $1 million win from Mesquite marks the fourth winner, with 11 unclaimed winning Millionaire Maker tickets remaining. The other million-dollar winners from this scratch game purchased their tickets in Amarillo, Midland, and Lewisville, per the Texas Lottery.
Millionaire Maker scratch tickets cost $30 each, and approximately 9,225,150 are distributed for sale.
The Texas Lottery is extending its holiday cheer to all lotto players this season with Merry Mondays.
“Buy $10 or more of Powerball® on one ticket, and you’ll receive one FREE $1 Lotto Texas® Quick Pick & one FREE $1 Texas Two Step Quick Pick!” Texas Lottery posted on social media. Merry Mondays runs every Monday through December 25 and is open to individuals 18 and older.
According to the Texas Lottery Commission’s 2023-2024 comprehensive business plan and 2022 annual report, scratch ticket sales in 2022 totaled $6.73 billion, a jump of more than $110.3 million from fiscal year 2021.
In the Texas Lottery’s most recently published fiscal year 2022 annual report, the $10 scratch price point yielded the highest percentage of ticket sales, at 23.5%, followed by the $20 price point scratch ticket at 22.2%. The $30 price point ticket, like the Millionaire Maker, came in at 6% of 2022 fiscal year sales for scratch tickets sold.
Over $8.3 billion in total sales of scratch tickets and draw games were recorded in fiscal year 2022, marking the 12th consecutive year of record sales, per the Texas Lottery’s 2022 annual report. These earnings were funneled to Texas education and veterans’ contributions, reaching $1.998 billion in fiscal year 2022.
The most recent annual report further delineated where the Texas Lottery money goes, with the highest percentage for prizes paid (67.5%), followed by the Foundation School Fund for Texas Education (23.8%), retailer compensation (5.3%), Lottery administration (3.1%), and 0.3% for Fund for Veterans’ Assistance and other state programs.
During the holiday season, the Texas Lottery has partnered with McGill University’s International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and the National Council on Problem Gambling to promote “Gift Responsibly.” This campaign aims to inform the general public about the risks of underage play and remind consumers that the lottery is not for anyone under 18.
