Bryan Moss, an Idaho resident from Meridian, won a lottery for the sixth time on Thursday, January 28, 2021. It was his first jackpot win and was worth a whopping $250,000. Bryan’s lucky streak began with a $1,000 win, followed by an impressive $10,000. Since then, all his winnings never exceeded that amount until Thursday, when he hit the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
According to the press release announcing the news by the Idaho Lottery, “Bryan Moss is someone who has a positive outlook toward life and today, he has an additional 250,000 reasons to be happy”. The businessman who owns the Newko Sport and Nutrition health store located in Meridian, Idaho, plays the Idaho Lottery often, and the real reason, according to him, is for humanitarian purposes.
“I’m proud to help support Idaho public schools; that is why I play,” he said. The Idaho Lottery was played first over three decades ago, on July 19, 2021. It offers various entertaining games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, Wild Card, and Hot Lotto. There is also a daily game called the Idaho Pick 3, with nightly drawings.
PullTabs and Scratch GamesTM are part of their games library as well, the latter being what earned Bryan a quarter of a million dollars. The Gem State has done well on the lottery scene in America. It was the first to introduce VIP club promotions to its lottery players in North America. It allowed players to earn reward points from playing, which they could use to purchase lottery merch such as bicycles, watches, and even iPods.
Idaho and Gambling
Idaho, however, has not always been gambling-friendly. In 1953, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that all forms of casino games in the state, especially slot machines, were illegal. Decades after the ban, in 1983, a proposal for the creation of state lotteries was created, but it died a quick death as the legislature did not approve it. Nevertheless, six years later, in 1989, the Idaho Lottery began. This was a record-breaking moment for the lottery industry at the time, given the preceding controversies on the subject in the region.
Today, pari-mutuel wagering, tribal casinos, bingo, and lotteries have been legalized in the state. More modern gambling forms like online casinos, online sports betting, and poker are still not regulated within the state’s borders. There are no clear laws prohibiting residents from wagering at offshore gambling sites, but most people seem content playing within safe boundaries.
Idaho Lottery players are required to be 18 years old or older. The same applies to residents who want to participate in pari-mutuel and bingo. However, tribal casinos in the state require that you be at least 21 years before you are permitted to play in them.
It is known in the state of Idaho that the lottery is run by the state government. Half of the net funds gotten from the lottery goes back into the state’s public school system. The other half goes to the Permanent Building Fund, from which colleges and universities in the state obtain financial privileges. Having this knowledge, Bryan decided to play the lottery regularly as a means of giving back to the community.
According to the lottery website, between 1989 when the lottery began and now, the Idaho Lottery has sold more than $4.2 billion worth of products. This revenue has been split such that over $2.6 billion was awarded to the lottery’s players and $249 million returned in retail commissions. Idaho public schools and buildings have gotten $961.5 million from this too.
According to the lottery officials, Bryan Moss purchased his winning lottery ticket at ExtraMile, a store on Eagle Road and E. Goldstone Drive in Meridian, located in the same city as his health store. He claimed his winnings at the Idaho Lottery headquarters in Boise and posed for pictures with the huge check that bore the record of his cash prize.
Big Plans for the Big Win
When asked what he planned to do with the money, Bryan said he planned to set it aside for his daughter’s education in the future. ExtraMile, the store that sold the winning ticket, was also rewarded with $20,000 as a bonus from the state lottery.
Seeing as it appears that Bryan Moss seems to have a lucky lottery charm, it is expected that other players would want him to play for them. However, it doesn’t seem like Bryan will be accepting any of such invitations. We know this based on a Facebook post where he announced his big win.
“I’ve tried playing for others, but it does not work”, he said. Although they may not get the lucky man’s help, it is expected that more Idaho residents will try to secure a spot with Bryan as one of the lottery’s star winners. New players are expected to roll in in the weeks that follow, and experienced players should have the inspiration to keep trying.
This is good news for the Idaho Lottery, but more importantly for the public schools in the Gem State and beneficiaries of the Permanent Building Fund. Brian re-emphasized his primary reason for playing the lottery when he put up a picture on Facebook to celebrate his win with the caption:
“I’m proud to help support Idaho schools! #6 decent lotto win. #lucky.”
