ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque man claimed the $3.52 million Lotto America jackpot on Tuesday, marking the first time a New Mexico Lottery player has won the Lotto America jackpot.
Neil Cochran matched all five White Ball numbers of 8, 11, 23, 47, 48 and Star Ball number 4 from the Nov. 4, 2023 Lotto America draw. Cochran purchased his ticket at the Speedway located at 6570 Paradise Blvd. NW in Albuquerque. It was the only winning jackpot ticket for that draw.
A store employee introduced the Lotto America game to Cochran. “He told me it had better odds than Powerball and Mega Millions, and it was just $1,” Cochran told the New Mexico Lottery. Cochran said he had a premonition about his numbers and picked his own. He bought all three big jackpot games: Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America and played the exact same numbers on all three games.
Story continues below
- New Mexico: New Mexico lawmaker looks to boost substance use recovery services in the U.S.
- Crime: Alamogordo police charge man for October road rage shooting
- Albuquerque: Albuquerque officials describe challenges of cleaning homeless camps during injunction
- Local: Los Lunas Village Council postpones decision on Niagara Bottling expansion
Cochran told the lottery that his mom initially did not believe them when he and his girlfriend told her he had won. His mother said, “I thought they were pulling a prank.”
The New Mexico Lottery launched Lotto America on Nov. 12, 2017. Lotto America tickets are $1 per play, per drawing. Tickets are sold in 13 states: Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Drawings are Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights at approximately 9:15 PM Mountain Time. More than half of all proceeds from the sale of a Lotto America ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold, according to the New Mexico Lottery.
