RELEASE DATE: 7/17/2014
ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man won 15 prizes totaling $60,000 in one Mega Millions drawing. Steven Traub claimed his prizes in person at New Mexico Lottery headquarters yesterday. “This has made my day,” Traub said.
Winner Played Ages as Lucky Numbers … Again and Again
For the July 8 drawing, Traub purchased five plays on three tickets for a total of 15 plays.
On every play, Traub used the ages of his four youngest children and his wife – 14, 19, 25, 27 and 49 – as his white ball numbers. To complete the plays, Traub selected one from each of the game’s 15 yellow Mega Balls.
The winning numbers on July 8 were 14, 25, 27, 48 and 49 and the yellow Mega Ball of 9.
On 14 plays, Traub matched four white ball numbers to win 14 prizes of $500 each, totaling $7,000. On one play, he matched four white ball numbers and the yellow Mega Ball to win $5,000. Traub’s winnings came to $12,000, but his good fortune didn’t end there.
$12,000 Jumps to $60,000
Traub added the game’s Megaplier feature to each play. The $1-per play feature multiples non-jackpot prizes between two and five times, depending on the multiplier drawn. On July 8, the number 5 was drawn as the multiplier. Traub’s winnings went from $12,000 to $60,000.
‘Disbelief’
The winner discovered his good fortune Tuesday night when he checked his tickets for prizes.
“I sat in my car in disbelief,” Traub said. He said he plans to use his prizes to pay bills and travel.
Traub bought his lucky ticket at Pump N Save located at 3600 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque. Previously, the store has sold 28 large-prize winning lottery tickets paying between $600 and $200,000.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $610 million for education and more than 90,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.
Media contact: New Mexico Lottery Communications Office, (505) 342-7616