ALBUQUERQUE – Robert Platt of Albuquerque claimed a $1.54 million Hot Lotto jackpot from the New Mexico Lottery today.
In Saturday’s drawing, Platt’s quick-pick ticket matched the winning numbers of 7, 16, 18, 32, 35 and the Hot Ball of 8. The odds of winning a Hot Lotto jackpot are 1 in nearly 11 million.
Before working on his tax return yesterday morning, Platt checked both his Powerball and Hot Lotto tickets against the winning numbers posted at the lottery’s website.
“I started looking at the numbers and I realized I have all these numbers,” he said. “I was shocked.”
Above: pictured is Robert Platt, winner of $1.54 Million Hot Lotto Jackpot
Platt, who began playing Hot Lotto four months ago, elected to take the jackpot’s pre-tax cash option of $1.15 million. His plans as a jackpot winner include retiring his home loan as well as his son’s loans for law school in California.
The winner purchased his lucky ticket at 7-Eleven No. 57720 located at 7525 Montgomery Blvd. NE in Albuquerque. The store, which is operated by Southwest LLC, has sold 24 large prize-winning lottery tickets ranging between $1,000 and $185,000. For selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the store is eligible for a $10,000 New Mexico Lottery bonus.
This is the New Mexico Lottery’s fifth Hot Lotto jackpot since joining the game in 2006. Hot Lotto is played in 15 lotteries. Jackpots start at $1 million and increase by at least $50,000 per drawing until someone wins. In addition to the jackpot, there are eight other prize levels.
Also in New Mexico on Saturday, one Powerball ticket matched the five white balls to win a $1 million prize. The ticket holder has not yet claimed the prize.
The sale of New Mexico Lottery games funds a college tuition assistance program. Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised more than $514 million for public education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships.