The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 30, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 30 drawing
09-13-18-23-40, Lucky Ball: 04
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Jan. 30 drawing
11-14-24-28, Bonus: 06
Advertisement
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Advertisement
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
A trio of major property tax relief bills — Gov. Greg Gianforte’s flagship effort to pull down homeowner property taxes by boosting taxes on second homes and two other measures pitched by Democrats — passed the Montana House with bipartisan votes Thursday, advancing to the state Senate.
Gianforte’s bill, House Bill 231, was amended by the House Appropriations Committee last week in an effort to win the Democratic votes necessary to overcome opposition from some Republicans. It ultimately passed the House on a 68-30 margin. The bill’s supporters, including sponsor Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, also fended off floor amendments brought by Rep. Terry Falk, R-Kalispell, that would have rewritten the measure wholesale.
The two Democratic bills forwarded to the Senate include House Bill 155, an alternative to the Gianforte-Jones bill that aims to rebalance the state property tax system without singling out homes that aren’t being used as primary residences. The other is House Bill 154, which would offer homeowners and renters an income tax credit to help offset their property tax bills.
Separately, the Montana Senate gave support with a 50-0 preliminary vote Wednesday to a property tax measure that would divert some lodging tax dollars to a permanent tax relief fund. That measure, Senate Bill 90, has been amended to remove earlier provisions that would have defunded state tourism promotion efforts. It’s been cited as a preferred option by some Republicans who dislike aspects of the Gianforte-Jones measure, including Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell.
Advertisement
Several other property tax proposals have also been proposed by lawmakers so far this year, including a measure that would permit local option sales taxes to offset property taxes, address a loophole that allows luxury homes to qualify for agricultural tax breaks, constrain the growth of local government revenues, make it harder to pass property tax levies, and rework the rates that translate market-rate property values to the taxable values used for tax bills.
Both the Gianforte-Jones bill and the Democratic alternative, HB 155, dial down the taxable value conversion rates for residential properties, making a smaller share of home values subject to the property tax math that divvies up the cost of schools, law enforcement and other local services. Both employ a tiered rate structure that focuses savings on lower-value properties and includes provisions intended to shield small businesses as taxes are shifted off homes and onto other classes of property.
In an effort to minimize how much its residential tax relief shifts taxes onto farms and business properties, the Gianforte-Jones bill also divides the state’s current residential tax category into homes that are and aren’t primary residences, taxing owner-occupied homes and long-term rental properties at lower rates than second-homes and Airbnb-style short-term rentals. Jones and the governor have justified that distinction by arguing that second homeowners often don’t pay the Montana income taxes that fund most of the cost of state-level public services.
Opponents of the governor-backed bill have argued that taxing second homes could produce a situation where Montana residents are saddled with untenable taxes on a longtime family vacation home. They also note that the state would have to ask homeowners and landlords to file applications in order to claim the lower tax rate.
While the bill specifies that an initial eligibility list would be based on homeowners who received property tax rebates following the 2023 session, opponents are worried that the application requirement would leave eligible property owners who miss the memo saddled with higher taxes.
Advertisement
Debating the Gianforte-Jones bill on the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, drew a comparison to the state’s Medicaid redetermination process, where she said tens of thousands of people lost their state-managed health coverage as a result of procedural issues.
“My concern is that we may have a similar experience with this application process for people who didn’t get the rebate,” Caferro said.
Jones said that the state would be able to offer a simple one-time, one-page application. “Once you’re signed up as a homeowner, then you’ll be able to remain signed up until there’s a change in the property,” he said.
Falk made a similar argument as he pushed to amend the bill so it would avoid the second home distinction, saying a simpler measure would avoid a “crazy application process.”
Jones argued the nature of Montana’s tax system means lowering taxes on one type of property isn’t possible without “squeezing the balloon” onto another type of property — making the effort to collect extra revenue from second homes a vital part of the governor’s proposal.
Advertisement
“This is a difficult problem to make work — you have to have a revenue source,” Jones said. “This wasn’t the executive or the governor’s idea — until I forced them to model this, they didn’t think it would work either.”
The second Democratic bill, HB 154, would create an income tax credit that offsets property taxes for middle- and lower-income homeowners and renters, specifying that renters can attribute 15% of their rent bill to taxes. Its sponsor, Rep. Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, has argued that tying property and income taxes together would make Montana’s tax system more responsive to individual circumstances.
“Unlike income taxes, property taxes don’t adjust based on means, or adjust when hard times hit,” Karlen said during Wednesday’s floor debate.
RELATED
Property taxes, explained — with pictures
Property values have risen dramatically in Montana, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you (or your landlord) will pay higher property taxes. If you want to know why, read our property tax explainer — with pictures.
Advertisement
Karlen and other Democrats also say a tax credit that includes renters would address their concern that under other bills landlords would either be left out of tax relief efforts or pocket any savings. Jones, in contrast, has argued that market competition will force landlords to pass the savings onto their tenants.
The Karlen bill’s journey across the House floor, where it passed 59-39, was boosted by a coordination clause added to the Gianforte-Jones measure as its backers sought to win Democratic votes. That clause, which could be removed by the Senate, specifies an additional rate discount for lower-value homes if the tax credit bill fails to make it to the governor’s desk.
House Minority Leader Katie Sullivan acknowledged in a press conference this week that tying the governor’s key policy proposal to a Democratic priority bill was “confusing,” but said it was consistent with the caucus’s efforts to advance proposals that it believes provide relief for working Montanans.
Advertisement
”We really are just trying to move more than just one bill through this process and continue a conversation,” Sullivan said. “And sometimes we do weird things to make that happen.”
The other Democratic bill, the explicit alternative to Gianforte-Jones bill, passed its final House vote this week 68-30.
Republican Rep. Llew Jones of Conrad asked lawmakers to consider his property tax proposal based on its content, not politics.
“I get that some folks might be angry with me and just vote against this bill because I’m the sponsor,” Jones said.
Jones, who is an ally of Gov. Gianforte, is known to buck GOP leadership at times. He’s carrying House Bill 231, which would lower taxes for primary Montana residents and small businesses while raising taxes on second homeowners, big businesses and agricultural lands.
Gianforte called on lawmakers to pass the proposal as quickly as possible, but they’re also looking at other options — including some from Democrats.
Advertisement
An ethics investigation and political in-fighting are also competing for their attention.
On the Montana Talks radio show, Gianforte criticized lawmakers for not working quicker.
“I just wish the Legislature could focus on getting the work done for the people of Montana.”
Republican leaders rebuked that characterization, saying the proposal deserves careful consideration. Lawmakers also are also considering a competing bill from Democratic Rep. Mark Thane of Missoula.
The state House of Representatives advanced both bills on Wednesday. But Thane’s bill got 15 more votes than the one backed by Gianforte and Jones. Thane says the tax structure needs a rebalance.
Advertisement
“No additional money flowed into residential property owners’ pockets, yet overnight the property tax burden increased significantly.”
Thane’s proposal would create a straightforward, tiered property tax structure that would increase rates for higher property values. It would exempt the first $50,000 of any property and shift a higher burden onto big businesses. Agricultural lands would see a lower tax rate.
The House also endorsed a Democratic bill to create a property tax credit based on a homeowner’s or renter’s housing cost. The Senate advanced a bill to give owners of property worth $1 million or less a $200 tax credit using lodge tax revenue.
Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More
Wildlife officials in Montana are warning landowners and hunters after several elk calves in the Bitterroot Valley died from consuming a highly toxic ornamental plant. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks confirmed that Japanese yew, a non-native shrub often used in landscaping, was the cause of death.
The incidents occurred in mid-February when officials were alerted to multiple dead elk near residences. Necropsies revealed that the animals had ingested Japanese yew, a plant known to be fatal to livestock and wildlife. The plant contains alkaloids that can cause sudden cardiac failure, often leading to death within hours of consumption.
Japanese yew has been responsible for similar wildlife deaths in Montana before. In past years, it has killed moose, deer, and even pets. Despite its dangers, the plant remains a popular choice in landscaping due to its evergreen foliage and ability to withstand cold temperatures.
Wildlife officials are urging residents to remove Japanese yew from their properties, especially in areas where wild animals frequently roam. Alternative native plants can provide similar aesthetic benefits without the deadly consequences for wildlife.
Advertisement
Elk calves; (photo/Shutterstock)
The recent elk deaths highlight the ongoing risks associated with ornamental plants that are toxic to native species. As human development continues to expand into wildlife habitat, conflicts like this become more common. Montana wildlife managers are working to educate the public about the dangers of certain non-native plants to prevent further losses.
For now, hunters and residents in the Bitterroot Valley are being asked to report any sightings of sick or dead elk, as well as any locations where Japanese yew is found near known wildlife corridors.