Read about the TLC employees ... Click here and read Oct 9th entry.
See and hear what our legislators were told about VLT's, Click Here.

April 7, 2010 - 4:30 PM - Subject - $72 million jackpot, Pool Players, Pick3 Strategy page and a Pick3 Prediction (Play) ...
Editorial and Opinions by Dawn Nettles

Well, again it's been a long time since I updated this page. In my defense, what I've done is post stories on their own pages instead of posting them here. Either way, I'm writing something now!

Tonight we have a $72 million Lotto Texas jackpot and this drawing will be the 48th consecutive draw without a winner. Ya'll keep asking me WHY, how can this be, are they cheating etc. The reason there has been no winner is because the odds of there being a winner is extremely slim to say the least. The odds are in favor of the state and I can assure you, they rarely lose. There are 25.8 million combinations but they will only sell an est 2.7 tickets tonight. This means there are 24 million combinations not sold ... to put this in terms of what you can relate this to - well, it amounts to the entire population of the state of Texas. YES, there could be a winner - because the TLC's luck could run out and someone may hold the ticket with those 6 numbers on it.

The TLC has an incentive to keep the odds high thus preventing people from winning - you see, they hold the winners share and it earns them LOTS of money. Imagine, right now they are holding $43.9 million for whoever wins the current jackpot - AND - they are still holding $48.7 million from the last win in Oct. 2009. Since they aren't selling as many tickets as they'd like, they offset it by the earnings from the monies they hold.

Here are some interesting tidbits for you about Lotto Texas ...

There's been 4 matrix changes since 1992. Here's how each one has done ...

6/54: (April 23, 2006 - through Date) 412 Drawings
27 jackpot winning tickets sold; 24 drawings won

5/44 - 1/44: (May 7, 2003 - April 22, 2006) 310 Draws
19 jackpot winning tickets sold; 18 drawings won

6/54: (July 19, 2000 - May 3, 2003) 292 Drawings
72 jackpot winning 6 of 6 tickets sold; Only 59 drawings won.

6/50 Inception (Nov 1992 - July 2000)
801 Drawings; 403 jackpot winning 6 of 6 tickets sold

Current Roll - (This means all draws since the last win)
Oct 24, 2009 thru April 7, 2010 - 48 draws - ROLL Sales: $108,682,734 + Est $2.7M (tonights sales) = Est $111,382,734 - Jackpot $72 million

Last Roll
May 9, 2009 thru Oct 21, 2009 - 48 draws - Total ROLL Sales: $120,775,876 - One $76 million winner - Though the prize has not been collected

Current Matrix
Out of the 24 jackpot won since 4/23/06 - the last matrix change - 13 jackpots could NOT be supported by sales - Strangely, one went unclaimed and a second is about to expire. Anyway, it's taking between 15 to 20 draws for the TLC to fund a Lotto Texas jackpot win with the funds coming directly from sales.

History of "Jackpot" Deductions From Reserve Since 4/23/06
(Sales did not support advertised amount)

1) 8/31/06: Deducted <$96,222> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

2) 9/23/06: Deducted <$667,337> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

3) 4/21/07: Deducted <$997,113> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot (Ironically, the 4/21/07 jackpot went unclaimed)

4) 5/23/07: Deducted <$286,575> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

5) 3/29/08: Deducted <$1,136,033> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

6) 4/12/08: Deducted <$1,642,954> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

7) 5/31/08: Deducted <$207,826> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

8) 10/18/08: Deducted <$536,881> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

9) 11/01/08: Deducted <$1,637,943> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

10) 12/06/08: Deducted <$1,712,747> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

11) 12/24/08: Deducted <$2,431,880> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

12) 04/08/09: Deducted <$1,498,238> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot

13) 05/06/09: Deducted <$1,344,791> from Reserve to fund Lotto Texas jackpot -
(5/6/09 Ticket not claimed yet. It's about to expire. How do we know there was a winning ticket?)

If you really want to know "that much about" ticket sales and their demise, go to "Why jackpots aren't increasing."

I've been receiving calls and emails asking about pool playing and collecting should they win. If you win a large sum of money (millions) as part of a group, see a lawyer first. If you win something not so large, collect from the TLC using IRS Form 5754. Until several years ago, the TLC refused to accept this form but they finally changed their ways after causing considerable grief for us players. The link takes you to the story I did several years ago about the use of IRS Form 5754.

In the coming days, I will be updating my Audited Sales page. I got behind - sorry. I can't really comment about overall sales until I compile my figures.

I'm glad to hear that many of you have had such good luck with the Pick3 Strategy page. The sums do come in - you just have to be lucky enough to have the right combination that makes the sums. I've been bad about posting plays too. I only play when I have a play which is just so happens that I have one now. OK, OK ... I'll tell you what it is. For the NIGHT draw - we should see 8x9 or 9x8. My favorites are 809, 948 and 839. Guess I should post this on the Pick3 page and maybe tomorrow I will if it doesn't come in tonight.(OK - I posted the play on Dawn's Pick 3 Predicitons)

Good luck everybody.