Since Wednesday’s drawing yielded no winner, Saturday’s Lotto Texas jackpot sits heavy at approximately $61 million.
If there is still no winner after Saturday night’s drawing, the annuitized jackpot will increase by another million or so for the following draw date of Monday, April 3.
The jackpot, initially set at an estimated $5 million, has seen quite a hike in value since its run began on September 19.
Now going on its 84th draw, this run has the highest state lottery jackpot seen in over a decade. On May 29, 2010, a jackpot reached an estimated $97 million and was claimed by a man in Dallas.
Lotto Texas ranks third place among the jackpots currently up for grabs nationwide, trailing Mega Millions and Powerball, per NBC 5.
Ranking at the top, Mega Millions, which currently has a jackpot of $355 million, was drawn again last night.
A resident of Plano claimed a $1 million prize for the Mega Millions Quick Pick on January 9, as The Dallas Express reported. This is to say that all numbers drawn except for the Mega Ball were matched.
Coming in second, Powerball has a jackpot of $147 million since Wednesday’s drawing did not produce a winner. Powerball’s next drawing will be on Saturday as well.
A North Texas resident won the Powerball on February 28, as The Dallas Express reported. That winner’s prize was just over $2 million since the red Powerball failed to match up.
Of course, the jackpot figures given are not the amounts winners should expect to take home.
If someone wins Saturday night’s Lotto Texas drawing, the cash value of the jackpot on offer is expected to be $36.92 million.
If the winner chooses the cash value option, they will pay around $8,860,800 in federal taxes (24%) and take home approximately $28,059,200. Texas lottery winners are not required to pay state tax on lottery winnings.
Texas Lottery officials advise that anyone who is lucky enough to nab the winning ticket should sign it and place it in a secure location, per NBC 5.
It is a good idea to get professional financial and legal advice before contacting the Texas Lottery to arrange an appointment to claim your prize.
Generally, be sure to double-check your tickets. Lower-tier Lotto Texas prizes have been claimed over the course of the latest run, Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery, said, per NBC 5.
Winners have 180 days after the draw to claim their prize, otherwise, it is forfeited.