Tag: Kansas Lottery

Powerball jackpot up to $685 million tonight

Players have until 8:59 p.m. tonight to get a Powerball ticket for the largest jackpot in recent months, $685 million.

No tickets won the Powerball jackpot on Saturday night, but two Kansas tickets matched four numbers and the Powerball to win $50,000, according to a Kansas Lottery spokesman. One ticket was sold in northeast Kansas, while the other ticket was sold in north central Kansas, according to the Kansas Lottery.

The odds of winning Powerball are one in 1 in 292.2 million.

Tonight’s Powerball jackpot will have a cash option of $485.5 million, according to the Kansas Lottery spokesman.

The jackpot has been on a roll since June and is the sixth highest jackpot in Powerball history, and the eighth largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. Drawing dates are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

KCK woman wins $15,000 in lottery

Lora Ferguson (Photo from Kansas Lottery)

A Kansas City, Kansas, woman has claimed the first top prize on the Kansas Lottery’s $3 Plinko ticket.

Lora Ferguson claimed her prize on Wednesday at the Kansas Lottery.

Ferguson usually purchases up to four tickets at the same gas station a few times a week. This time, she decided to purchase a single Plinko ticket, which ended up winning $15,000.

“I was having a rough day, because I’m a full-time investigator during the day and a part-time caretaker for my mom at night, so I stopped at my usual place to grab a bite to eat and a drink,” Ferguson said. “Then spur of the moment, I told the clerk to give me one Plinko ticket.”

The winning ticket was sold at 7-Eleven at 2500 Central Ave. in Kansas City, Kansas.

Ferguson made it all the way to her work’s parking lot before scratching it, and saw a line cleared all the way down to the top prize. In shock from her win, she checked and rechecked the ticket, and came up with the same result.

“I went inside and two of my coworkers were there and they said I had a look on my face. And I just immediately broke down because I was having that type of day. I told them ‘I’ve been blessed with $15,000!’” she recalled.

The win is a huge blessing for the Kansas City, Kansas, woman, who is a single mom of four and has seven grandkids, in addition to being her mother’s caretaker. Ferguson says that while she could spend the money to pay off her vehicle, she wants to give her family the trip of a lifetime.

“I’m going to take my grandbabies to Disney World in the spring! I enjoy family, so I want to spend it on family. I do plan to buy myself a king-sized platform bed though, but that’s really the only thing I want for myself,” she added.

  • Information from the Kansas Lottery

Hollywood Casino revenues rebound

Gaming revenues at Hollywood Casino at the Kansas Speedway are showing a rebound, according to figures released Wednesday afternoon at the Kansas Lottery Commission meeting.

The Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas, showed gaming revenues of $13.29 million for March, according to Keith Kocher, director of program assurance and integrity for the Kansas Lottery.

Good March revenue reports also were turned in by the three other state-owned casinos, Boot Hill in Dodge City, Kansas, $4.38 million; Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, Kansas, $17.56 million; and Kansas Crossing Casino, Pittsburg, Kansas, $3.64 million.

“All four casinos had their best months since the pandemic closures a year ago,” Kocher said during the meeting.

Kocher said the numbers reflected pent-up demand from players. The state of Kansas receives 22 percent of the gaming proceeds, while the Unified Government of Wyandotte County receives 3 percent of the local casino gaming proceeds.

Stephen Durrell, executive director of the Kansas Lottery, said local municipal governments have lessened some of the COVID-19 restrictions in communities, and some have relaxed closures of restaurants and bars.

Durrell said the Kansas Lottery is considering different reopening requests from the casinos on an individual basis. The Lottery Commission and Kansas Department of Health and Environment have granted some changes, he said.

Durrell praised the casinos for the safety and health precautions they took over the last year to protect patrons and staff.

The casinos were closed for part of March last year because of the pandemic.

In a written report to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, Rick Skinner, Hollywood Casino vice president and general manager, said March 2021 admissions were up 60.4 percent compared to March of 2020.

Gaming revenue this March was an increase of 108 percent compared to last year and a 43 percent increase over February 2021, Skinner stated.

Gaming revenues at Hollywood Casino were $6.3 million in March 2020 and $14.3 million in March 2019, according to state figures.

The casino has several upcoming events planned including the $25,000 mychoice App of Cash on April 17 and the $150,000 SlotPlay Bouquet on April 24, according to Skinner’s report.

At the Hollywood Casino, masks and social distancing are required, with Plexiglas installed for safety. The casino is running a promotion where any MyChoice member with a completed COVID-19 vaccination record card can get $10 of free slots play in a one-time offer, according to the casino website.

Durrell also reported that a sports wagering proposal in the Kansas House was voted down and did not go to conference committee recently. It appears the bill is dead, but it is possible something could return during the veto session.

Powerball is changing, Durrell reported. At the national level, it was voted to add Mondays to the days when there will be a Powerball drawing, he said.