The Curse of the Megabucks Jackpot. As already mentioned above, there are a lot of urban legends about the Megabucks slot and its jackpot, mostly of a gloomy nature. For the most part, they describe the tragic fate of players who managed to win a huge jackpot. It is believed that almost all the lucky people either perish or suffer numerous woes. The Oregon Lottery attempts to ensure that the winning numbers for each drawing are posted correctly on our website. However, posted numbers are unofficial. For official confirmation that an Oregon Lottery ticket is a winner, please have the ticket validated through a Lottery sales terminal at any retailer or at a Lottery office. (OAR 177-070-0035). The world's first wide area progressive jackpot system, Megabucks has been awarding life-changing jackpots to lucky winners since 1986. Win big with this jackpot - it resets to $10 million! Games Available on Jackpot System. Megabucks® Spinning Reel - Double 3x4x5x Times Pay®.
Here are some of the winners of the Oregon Lottery so far in 2020. All text from the Oregon Lottery. Here are the 2019 winners. Read up on 2018 winners here.
Joseph Garza
$100,000 Powerball winner
January 8, 2020 - Salem, Ore. – Joseph Garza from Portland knows the person who is responsible for his $100,000 Powerball win - his father.
Joseph Garza
$100,000 Powerball winner
January 8, 2020 - Salem, Ore. – Joseph Garza from Portland knows the person who is responsible for his $100,000 Powerball win - his father.
'When I won, the first thing I did was call my mom and say that my dad was sending us a miracle,' Garza said of his father who passed away last August. 'Part of the prize is going to go to for a donation to the church where we held his service. It was beautiful and they did a great job.'
Garza won using the numbers he has played for the past three years, a combination of his old baseball jersey and birthdays of family members. He won after purchasing a $9 Powerball ticket with the Power Play option for the Jan. 4 drawing. The jackpot for that drawing was $237 million.
Garza matched four of five numbers one of which being the Powerball number, meaning he was one number away from the jackpot prize. Luckily, Garza spent the extra $1 per drawing to get the Power Play option. When players add Power Play, prizes other than the jackpot can be multiplied up to 10 times. In this case, the Power Play number was 2, thus doubling his prize from $50,000, to $100,000.
'I always play with the Power Play,' he said. 'I figured if I got lucky, then it would really pay off! It did, I won another $50,000 because of it!'
Garza purchased his winning ticket from the Plaid Pantry on SW Broadway in Portland and joins other Oregon Lottery winners who have won more than $38 billion in prizes since 1985.
The Oregon Lottery reminds players to always sign the back of their Lottery tickets, regardless of the game. In the event of winning a jackpot, they should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Prize winners of more than $50,000 are advised to contact the Lottery office and schedule an appointment to claim their prize.
$8.4 million Megabucks jackpot winner
January 15, 2020 - Salem, Ore. – Laundry day got very exciting for a Portland man who accidentally washed his wallet, with an Oregon's Game Megabucks ticket worth $8.4 million inside.
'I washed my wallet and then realized I had Lottery tickets in there,' said Scott Moe, who won the prize. 'A couple of the tickets were destroyed, but not the jackpot ticket.'
Moe was piecing together his laundered lottery tickets right before bed, and after utilizing the Lottery's ticket-scanning app for the first time and realizing he had won the $8.4 million jackpot, it was midnight. Moe said that luckily the ticket worth $8.4 million was the last one he bought and protected by other tickets in his wallet.
Megabucks Jackpot Winners Nevada
'I didn't sleep until later the next day,' he said. 'My mind was racing!'
Moe brought the ticket to the Oregon Lottery Friday, Jan. 10 to verify it was the winning ticket. Then he took advantage of leaving the ticket at the Lottery, while he determined the best way to claim his prize. Players can leave their validated tickets at the Oregon Lottery office for up to 60 days, while they decide how to take their prize, either in a one-time lump sum or 30 annual payments. When Moe came back Monday, he said he contacted a financial advisor and was working on a plan.
Moe took the bulk-sum option, which splits the prize in half to $4.2 million, and after taxes, Moe took home $2.85 million.
Moe purchased the ticket from the Buy2 on SW Oleson Road in Portland. Officials with the company said this was the first time one of their stores had sold a jackpot ticket, and they were very excited for Moe and to be a supporter of the Oregon Lottery.
'We are very happy to be able to help support such great state programs the Lottery helps to fund,' said Emily Valentine, marketing manager for Buy2.
For selling the winning ticket Buy2 will receive a 1-percent selling bonus of $84,000.
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©2020 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)
Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com
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Nearly every state in the US provides its residents (and visitors) an opportunity at a life-changing lottery jackpot. Notably absent from that list of states is one of the biggest gambling venues in the world: Nevada.
While residents might feel a twinge of jealousy from the frequent news stories of lucky multi-million-dollar-winning lottery players, Nevada doesn't exactly have a shortage of methods for people to win their own big money jackpots. The most potentially lucrative one of all is Megabucksslot machines.
Responsible for most of Nevada's biggest money jackpots of all time, Megabucks slot machines are perhaps the closest alternative Nevada has to a true lottery. Megabucks is a simple game with a massive progressive jackpot.
Megabucks: a simple game
It's likely that most mental images of a slot machine conjure this game to mind. Megabucks slot machines have three reels and one payline going right through the middle of the reels. The game features many of the typical slot machine symbols — 7's, cherries, and bars — that any slot player has seen numerous times before.
The goal of the game is to match these symbols along the lone payline. That's it. There's no intricate series of patterns. There's no complicated bonus game to trigger. And there's no underlying theme associated with the game.
It's just a matter of whether the player matches three like symbols on the payline or not. Match the symbols, and get paid.
The Megabucks progressive jackpot
While true that Megabucks has a simple game design, that doesn't mean the game lacks appeal. Rather, it might be one of the most appealing slot machine games available due to its substantial progressive jackpot.
With a minimum prize of $10 million, the Megabucks progressive jackpot can be an attractive gamble for anyone. Slot players are sure to become most intrigued when the jackpot climbs to its higher amounts.
Twenty or even $30 million jackpots are not unheard of for Megabucks. Each machine linked to the jackpot has the amount prominently posted just above the machine, large enough to see from the other side of a room. There will never be any confusion over a specific jackpot amount.
Megabucks is a standard $1 slot machine. The caveat is that a player must bet the maximum ($3) on a spin to be eligible to win the progressive jackpot. Once the maximum bet is made and the reels are spun, landing 'MEGABUCKS' symbols along the payline on each of the reels is what it takes to win the hefty prize. Similar to picking winning lottery numbers, it really is that simple to win the Megabucks jackpot.
If one does manage to win the jackpot, the similarities to lottery winnings don't end there. Jackpot winners are given a 25-year annuity for their winnings rather than the entire sum all at once. At $3 per spin, going for the jackpot could also be a costly endeavor. As most lottery players can attest, just because a game is simple to play, doesn't mean it's easy to win.
So you're telling me there's a chance?
Since 2005, when the jackpot was set at a minimum of $10 million, 22 people have won the prize. That's about two people per year on average in the state of Nevada who find themselves lucky enough to be referred to as Megabucks progressive jackpot winners.
A number of sources seem to agree that the odds of any eligible spin hitting the jackpot is about 50 million to one. It's a long shot to be sure, but that doesn't mean it's not worth trying at all.
To put that into perspective, if it's worth the time and energy to worry about the dangers of shark attacks when swimming in the ocean or plane crashes when flying in the air, then it's statistically worth the effort to give Megabucks a few spins in hopes of becoming the next lucky winner. Somebody is going to win it, after all.
With the odds of hitting the jackpot so low and the relatively few ways for a player to win money, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Megabucks slot machines sports one of the highest levels of volatility in the slot world. Unlike many modern slot machine games, there aren't an abundance of ways to win amounts close to the cost of a spin.
Essentially, this game amounts to most likely losing the entirety of the bet on a spin, but with a small percentage of spins leading to sizable wins.
Because of these qualities, Megabucks is not likely to attract slot enthusiasts, as they would be looking for a more valuable experience for their money. Since slot seekers would be more focused on the progressive jackpot opportunity, the higher volatility, and relatively low time investment, Megabucks is a popular choice for them.
No end in sight
Megabucks Jackpot Winners Las Vegas
Lotteries in the US have been popular for hundreds of years and remain popular to this day. It's clear that the low risk/high reward game model is attractive to many. So long as people dream of the lavish lifestyle that only millions and millions of dollars can provide, they will always be willing to take their chances.
Serving as Nevada's de facto lottery, there's no reason to think Megabucks slot machines will be any different. Anybody with few dollars and a dream knows that an eight-figure payday could be waiting for them the next time they decide to spend a couple minutes playing the slots.
This fact alone will keep seasoned slot players, as well as casual casino-goers, sitting down and trying their luck with Megabucks.
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