If you live in Cole County, you're luckier than most Missourians, according to lottery figures.
Figures from the Missouri Lottery show that in Cole County individual players and the businesses that sell the tickets are among the luckiest in Missouri.
From April 2020 through March 2021, the lottery ranked the 114 areas of the state participating in lottery operations.
During that period, Cole County:
Ranked No. 22 in per capita sales
Ranked No. 21 in per capita winnings
Had more than $24 million in lottery sales
Had more than $17 million in lottery player wins
Had 87 selling retailers, who earned a collective $1,537,330 in commissions.
The top 10 counties based on total sales in the past year were: St. Louis County, Jackson, St. Charles, St. Louis city, Greene, Jefferson, Clay, Boone, Franklin and Jasper. Cole County just missed the top 10 coming in at number 12 for total sales.
Have specific parts of the state won (or been) luckier than other parts? There is no precise answer, Lottery Communications Manager Wendy Baker said.
"Generally speaking, areas with a large number of players also show a higher number of wins," Baker said. "However, an example that might skew that is a low population area with a big winner. With lower play levels, it's easier for big prizes to affect county per capita numbers."
Overall, she said, the lottery has seen strong sales over the past year and through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Holiday sales were especially high, as more people discovered that holiday Scratchers tickets are a quick and inexpensive gift-giving idea," Baker said. "Sales also saw a big boost when both the Powerball and Mega Millions games had long runs that created near-record jackpots when they were finally hit in January."
As a result of those big jackpots, she said, the lottery provided their highest-ever monthly transfer of proceeds to public education in February - $42.5 million from ticket sales in January.
Cole County residents also reaped the benefits of those jackpots during the pandemic.
The most recent winner was last month when a Jefferson City resident purchased a lottery ticket at a Jefferson City business that turned out to be a six-figure jackpot winner.
A $154,000 Show Me Cash ticket was sold at Gerbes, 2805 W. Truman Blvd. in Jefferson City in March.
A $100,000 "Show Me $100,000" Scratchers ticket was sold at Edge Express, 2727 W. Edgewood in Jefferson City in February.
A $1 million Powerball ticket was sold at Break Time, 3000 W. Truman Blvd. in Jefferson City in November.
A $50,000 Show Me Cash ticket was sold at Break Time, 1200 Missouri Blvd. in Jefferson City in September.
A $100,000 "Break the Bank" Scratchers ticket was sold at Bee Line Snack Shop, 2205 Southridge Drive in Jefferson City in July.
Do some games produce more winners than others?
"Draw Game results are random - completely dependent on the numbers played and the numbers drawn - so it's viewed in terms of payout vs. game design," Baker said. "These numbers are ever-changing."
There's a bit more of a formula for Scratchers games, she said.
"For Scratchers games, average chances of winning vary from game to game, but they generally average one in four - with the average chances increasing by price point," she said. "Overall, approximately 71 percent of Scratchers sales are returned as prizes - ranging from 62 percent in $1 games to 78 percent in $30 games."
The lottery is continuing to roll out new games, she said, including a new daily Draw Game called Cash4Life that started Sunday.
The multi-state game offers a top prize of $1,000 a day for life; second prize of $1,000 a week for life.
"This $2 game offers overall chances of 1 in 8 for winning across all prize levels," Lottery Executive Director May Scheve Reardon said.
Cash4Life drawings are held seven days a week at 8 p.m. The game is also played in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.