Queue dramatic cliff-hanger music – location; Iowa Lottery Headquarters – background plot – less than 2 hours to spare before the claim deadline of 4 p.m. Dec. 29, 2011 was due expire, New York attorney’s acting on behalf an unnamed winners trust finally made it to the Iowa Lottery offices to stake their multi-million dollar Hot Lotto jackpot claim with a ticket bought from a petrol station in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, for the game drawn on Dec. 29, 2010.

Fast forward to last week’s meeting with Iowa Lottery investigators – the claimants lawyers refuse to answer ANY questions about the ticket’s ownership and are given until 3 p.m. today (Friday Jan. 27, 2012) to reveal the true identity of the winner or winners or the multi-million dollar Hot Lotto jackpot payment will be refused.

Wow – a standoff big style, just wait until Hollywood gets onto this – the streets outside Iowa Lottery headquarters emptying faster than a shot dog through a barn, people diving for cover, the two protagonists eye-ball to eye-ball, (queue “musical pocket watch music” – as played in the movie For a Few Dollars More) in readiness for the 3 p.m. shootout – who blinks first – loses!

The outcome: the New York attorney blinks first – withdraws his claim by fax and agrees to “take no further action to enforce the claim.”

The twist: in order to ensure the integrity of the lottery, Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich, asks the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa Attorney General to investigate the attorney who made the original claim as it needs to know just how the law firm obtained the ticket to make sure it wasn’t stolen and that a valid player bought it and whether those involved complied with state law.

What happens to the unclaimed loot? It now goes into the pot toward future prizes! Phew – be still my beating heart!

Peace of mind: whenever you buy your lottery tickets at WinTrillions you won’t ever have to worry about missing a prize deadline, dropping a result, losing your ticket or having it stolen, as we write your name across every ticket, email you with a scanned copy, keep it safely and securely on your behalf, check your numbers and help you with the claim process when you win!

You must remember the song “Rainy Night in Georgia”, written by Tony Joe White way back in 1962 which became an instant hit for R&B vocalist Brook Benton in the spring of 1970. Well let me tell you the rain in Georgia has stopped, the sun’s about to shine and a whole new way of life beckons for one or more Georgia residents after matching the numbers 10 – 22 – 24 – 36 – 49 and Mega Ball 33 in last evening’s MegaMillions draw to take the first prize jackpot – a staggering SEVENTY-ONE MILLION dollars!

That’s the highest MegaMillions jackpot payout since Dec. 27 when husband and wife Daniel and Christine Bruckner from San Jose, California hit the New Year running after nailing the $206 million top prize.

Ten ticket holders; 2 from California, 2 from Illinois, 1 from Kentucky, 1 from Massachusetts, 2 from Michigan, 1 from Oregon, 1 from Pennsylvania matched the 5 main numbers to pull in up to $250,000 apiece and another twenty-two ticket holders grabbed themselves up to $16,000 each by matching 4 mains.

Just in case you didn’t already know on Jan. 24, 0041, the Roman Emperor and cruel despot Caligula was assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards: on Jan. 24, 1848, James Marshall found gold in Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California and on Jan. 24, 1976, Cleveland Cavaliers beat Milwaukee by 43 points (132 – 89) – so, I guess, Tuesday Jan. 24, 2012 will now hold special significance for a whole bunch of yesterday’s lottery winners!

The next Mega Millions draw is on Friday with a starting pot of $12 million; but before then, in just a few hours time, the beefed up Powerball draw takes place and there’s a ONE HUNDRED and TWENTY MILLION dollar jackpot! Remember, you can buy your tickets for MegaMillions and Powerball as well as many other of the world’s biggest lotteries right here at WinTrillions – just follow the links and you’re in the game!

Playing any lottery anywhere in the world involves just three simple steps – choose your game, pick your numbers, buy your ticket – that’s it – as a game plan they don’t come much easier than this. Miss out any one step and you’ll never win!

Numbers make very powerful “for and against” arguments; just take a quick peek at the following Powerball statistics:

• Most frequently drawn numbers (excluding the Powerball): 41 – 20 – 32 – 26 – 16 – 40.
• Least frequently drawn numbers (excluding the Powerball): 56 – 57 – 58 – 59 – 55 – 54.
• Most overdue numbers (excluding the Powerball): 42 – 32 – 48 – 44 – 53 – 7.

So maybe you need to consider these for the next time you play Powerball and you’re undecided which main numbers to pick; just remember that numbers that have failed for the past six or more games are considered “hot numbers” and account for more than half of all winning numbers.

Don’t forget with effect from yesterday Powerball is now bigger, beefier and richer than ever before – with guaranteed jackpots starting at $40 million for matching 6 main numbers and the Powerball; match 5 main numbers without the Powerball and you’ll nail $1 million; take the Power Play option and your $1 million immediately doubles to $2 million!

You can safely buy lottery tickets for Powerball as well as for many other of the world’s biggest and richest lotteries and raffles right here at WinTrillions, what’s more you won’t ever have to worry about missing a result or losing your ticket, as we write your name across the top of every ticket you buy; send you a scanned copy and email you with the result!

It’s here – the check’s arrived – the moment of truth – serendipity – it’s payday! Well for Daniel Bruckner and his wife Christine of San Jose, California, yesterday was very definitely a big pay day, a massive payday, in fact the biggest payday they’ve ever had; it was the day that the Bruckner’s stepped forward to collect their $206 million jackpot check after nailing the top prize in the Mega Millions lottery drawn on Dec. 27. The lucky pair decided to take the cash as a lump sum alternative which, after taxes, amounts to a total of $101 million.

The Bruckner’s, had been visiting Christine’s family on Long Island over Christmas when Daniel bought the winning ticket on impulse while shopping for dinner at the King Kullen supermarket. Wow – now that’s what I call “trusting your hunches!”

Well – you must be asking, all fine and dandy for the Bruckner’s, but what about yesterday’s Mega Millions draw? Up for grabs – a $42 million jackpot which is yours and yours alone, if you’re the only one to match numbers 10 – 27 – 28 – 37 – 51 and Mega Ball: 19; sadly I have to say there are no matches so it’s not yours! On the bright side – no winner means a rollover which ups the ante for next Tuesday’s Mega Millions to a very nicely rounded $50 million.

Remember, you can buy Mega Millions lottery tickets right here at WinTrillions, as well as, play many other of the world’s biggest and richest draws and raffles – just follow the links and you could soon be on your way to riches beyond your wildest dreams.