Have there been Powerball or Mega Millions Halloween lottery winners?
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After all the trick-or-treating is done, consider trying your luck with the lottery. Playing on Halloween sure paid off for one lottery pool, and during the scariest holiday of the year in 2022, there was an interesting occurrence in the winning numbers.
Read on for more.
Has anyone ever won Powerball lottery drawing on Halloween?
According to Powerball's official winner stories online, there have been several winners who have won big on holidays — New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Patrick's Day, to name a few. However, there is no mention of a significant winning jackpot on a Halloween drawing.
However ...
Did someone win Mega Millions lottery drawing on Halloween?
According to Mega Millions' official winner stories online, one lottery pool won big on Halloween.
On Oct. 31, 2014, 17 co-workers from the hit show "Elementary" split a $1 million secondary prize, meaning their numbers matched five of the winning numbers. The Mega Millions winner story states: "Group spokesperson Raphael Banks explained he realized their good fortune from a news article. 'I saw an article reporting that the winning ticket was purchased at the store where I buy our tickets,' he said. 'I checked online and saw that we matched five numbers. I still wasn’t 100% sure so I went to the store to double check.'" After three years of the 17 transportation department employees playing the same numbers, Banks told lottery headquarters, "All I could think was 'at last!' "
A check was made to the 17 Amigos LLC on Nov. 17, 2014, the megamillions.com story says, and the prize was claimed as a lump sum for $661,800. The winning Mega Millions numbers for Oct. 31, 2014, aka Halloween 2014 were 11, 29, 36, 58, 67 and the Mega Ball was 15.
Did something weird happen Oct. 31, 2022, the Halloween 2022 Powerball drawing?
On Halloween 2022, the jackpot had increased to $1.2 billion, then known as the second-largest prize in the history of the game.
The Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, Halloween numbers for Powerball were 13, 19, 36, 39, 59 and the Power Ball was 13. The Power Play was 3X. Interestingly, the number 13 appeared twice. It seems odd, but Powerball numbers can be the same as another. The red ball number aka the Powerball can be the same as one of the white balls, which range from 1 to 69.
According to a check on Powerball's site and a robust internet search, this was likely the first (and only) time the number 13 appeared twice in a Powerball drawing — on Halloween — for a $1 billion jackpot.
The number 13 fun continues ...
Has anyone won a big lottery jackpot on Friday the 13th?
Yes! A single ticket was purchased in Maine for the Jan. 13, 2023, Mega Millions drawing. The winner remains anonymous through a trust and accepted their winnings of $1.35 billion through the limited liability company LaKoma Island Investments LLC, according to a Feb. 22, 2023, story in USA TODAY.
Jan. 13, 2023, was Friday the 13th. The number 13 typically is referred to as an unlucky number, and it's associated with horror films.
Fun fact: Three tickets purchased in California, Florida and Tennessee won the Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball drawing, splitting $1.586 billion. In 2016, FLORIDA TODAY reported Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt bought their winning Powerball ticket at a Publix in Melbourne Beach.
While Jan. 13, 2023, was a Friday the 13th, Jan. 13, 2016, was not (it was a Wednesday). The odds of a billion-dollar jackpot being won on the same date going forward? Likely pretty low.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
