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For those of you who thought that a single significant win on a lottery was highly unlikely then the news that there were two $10k wins for a Georgia Lottery player will be a complete shock. However, the fact that this Georgia Lottery player had the two $10k wins is not the only part of the story that will raise eyebrows. Both of these wins were just two months apart with the first one coming in May on the Maximum Green Extra Chance Drawing.

It has been an exciting few weeks in Europe with regards to the lottery world and last week saw many players across the globe stunned as single UK ticket scoop the breaking EuroMillions jackpot. Don’t be fooled into thinking that lottery fever will disappear too quickly though because as always, when one big jackpot is gone there is always another for players to focus on. For a while at least all eyes will turn to SuperEnalotto, the Italian lottery game that is well known for boasting some of biggest jackpots in Europe.

Tuesdays £161/€185 million EuroMillions winners Chris and Colin Weir face the press after speculation as to who the UK winner or winners may have been. The couple who have been married for 30 years are from Largs in Ayrshire. A bold move by the couple to go public came after the realisation that even with the best efforts, they would not be able to keep such a large win a total secret and the thought of trying to make up stories to prevent the news of their EuroMillions win being known, proved to be an unattractive prospect.

We are often surprised at the amount of significant lottery prizes that go unclaimed and find it hard to understand why people go to the effort to play, obviously with hope of winning big but then not collect their winnings when they do. However, it is feared that a $1 million PowerBall prize that is left unclaimed for 11 weeks could be due to a devastating chain of events in which case, this ticket holder would be truly devastated.

There will be a buzz around Britain in the coming days after the news that the one UK winner who bags the EuroMillions jackpot. Players in Britain always seem to fair well when it comes to the EuroMillions and the latest record breaking jackpot is no exception. Not only was the £161/€185 million that was won yesterday the highest jackpot ever won, both in Sterling and Euros, but the winner has also become the UK’s biggest single lottery winner. However had a winner been found from the UK on Friday 8th they would have been a staggering £5 million better off!

Last week we brought the news to you that the Minnesota Lottery had been halted due to a government shutdown that began on 1st July. Although this is not good news for Minnesota, which like many states it heavily relies on the revenue brought in from its lottery games, one other state has benefited from the shutdown. Iowa Lottery ticket sales soar as players from Minnesota venture across the border into Iowa to play the Iowa Lottery as an alternative.

While many lottery players around the globe were left reeling that the massive rollover jackpot was not won on Friday, there was EuroMillions disappointment for a French player who was left reeling for a completely different reason. After checking his lottery tickets several times this player was convinced he had matched five numbers and both Lucky Stars to scoop the amazing €185 million jackpot and rang around all of his family and friends to tell them of his EuroMillions jackpot win.

Euromillions lottery fever has been sweeping Europe as players rushed to buy tickets for last nights draw that boasted a whopping €185/£166 million jackpot. For the first time since a rule change came into play on Friday 6th March 2009 the jackpot reached it's 'cap' and for second level prize tier winners this meant that overnight they became millionaires because no one managed to match 5 main numbers and two Lucky Stars with the numbers 12, 13, 23, 40, 49 and Lucky Stars 7 and 10.

A couple from Alton, Illinois are $675,000 richer today as the Missouri Lottery jackpot winners collect their prize more than a month after their winning numbers were drawn. The Missouri Lottery draw which took place on 25th June saw Ernie and Jude Stephens scoop a $1.9 million jackpot win after their $5 Quick Pick ticket came up trumps matching the numbers 6, 10, 20, 30, 38 and 40. Choosing the lump sum option, the Missouri Lottery winners have taken home the $675,000 after taxes have been deducted.

Across Europe last night many a player clambered to check the Euromillions results to see if they had become a member of the Rich List overnight but unfortunately, or is it fortunately? there were no Match 5 and 2 Lucky Star winners. This means that the Euromillions cap will be reached this Friday night. So how does this affect the prize fund and the amount of money available to all prize tiers? Already the jackpot is estimated at the cap amount, €185 million, but over the last few draws we have seen the estimated jackpot amount topped by a couple of million more.

From 11.59pm on Thursday the current government shutdown halted the Minnesota Lottery as well as many other state services. The lottery offices all closed at 5pm on Thursday and will not re-open until the state budget crisis is resolved. Unfortunately this means that no Minnesota Lottery tickets can be sold, paid out or validated until further notice. The shutdown also affects second chance drawings for the Minnesota Lottery.

There are four unclaimed UK lottery prizes expiring this month, and the race is now on in earnest to locate the lucky ticket holders of these fantastic prizes before they miss out. Two of these unclaimed wins are for the National Lottery’s main game, Lotto and both tickets matched five numbers plus the bonus ball. Unfortunately, both of these lottery winners need to come forward very quickly as the first is set to expire on 7th July and the second shortly after.

Around the world Euromillions fever is taking over but in the UK players are buying more tickets than usual as the jackpot has reached a UK record! The biggest ever Euromillions jackpot was won on 3rd February 2006 and had reached a massive €183 million but this jackpot was only actually just over £126 million due to the strength of the pound at the time. Tonight the Euromillions jackpot is an estimated £136 million, a UK record but at the current conversion rate this works out at an estimated €152 million – not quite on a par with the jackpot in February 2006.

Those of you who enjoy playing lottery games with big jackpots will pleased to hear of some changes coming to PowerBall. The US multi state lottery game is one of the most popular games in the US with its biggest rival being the other multi state lottery game MegaMillions. However, the exciting changes coming in January 2012 will see PowerBall offering better value for money its players with better odds of winning and bigger starting jackpots.

There is no doubt that lottery players in the US will be out in force to buy lotto tickets for one of the biggest jackpots west of the Atlantic this week. The multi state game PowerBall boasts a rollover jackpot of $76 million this week, a figure that many of us only dream of winning. However, the fact is that at some point this monster jackpot will be won and the chances are that the figure could continue to rise even higher.

A couple from Maryland have become $250k MegaMillions winners after a purchasing a lottery ticket from Harwood Market at 4450 Solomon’s Island Road in Harwood while the car was being fixed. This may not be a multimillion dollar lottery win, but still a big enough sum that it could change the lives of the lucky winners as most people would be relieved of any money worries with a MegaMillions win of this size.

After almost throwing away what was thought to be a losing scratchcard ticket, a lucky spot for a South Carolina Lottery player saw him walk away with $200,000 win. The man from Rock Hill suddenly noticed he had missed a scratchcard spot on his ticket, but even after he scratched the final spot, the win was still not certain until he got it checked at the store from where the lottery ticket was purchased.

It was only a few days ago that a lottery player from Oswego won a $1,000 a week for life on the lottery as news comes of another big win meaning that there are two big winners for the Illinois Lottery. This second win is believed to be on a ticket held by another area resident and is worth a whopping $100,000. However, this winner is yet to come forward so the Illinois Lottery can only speculate as to where the ticket holder may live.

A Lotto Max legal dispute could end soon after a $33 million win in April saw seven lottery players lay claim to the fortune. Court proceeding that took place last week resulted in all but two of the seven players withdraw their claims to the Lotto Max win and only one of the remaining two actually held a signed copy of the winning ticket when he went to the lottery corporation’s office in St Albert.

Instant games or scratchcards as they are also know as, are a very popular addition to any state lottery, but it is rare that people win millions on these. However, the fact that the odds of winning a prize are more favourable than the main lottery games means that many find these games attractive. News of a $5 million scratchcard win for an Ohio Lottery player, shows that what some might deem impossible is in fact very possible.