Lottery Millions — Not enough?
The nine-figure jackpot seems to be losing its allure among the masses, but we'll take it
By The Capital-journal Editorial Board
The Capital-Journal
Published Thursday, February 15, 2007
How much is enough?
Believe it or not, gamblers are backing off across America. As in backing off some of the largest multi-state lotteries, at least for a few months.
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KANSAS LOTTERY
The most recent big jackpot won in Powerball, which is played in Kansas, was $254 million claimed in Missouri. In that game, 20 tickets also won $200,000 each for their owners, none of whom lived in Kansas.
In the 20 years Kansas has been in the multistate lottery game, 31 individuals have won from $2 million to $35 million playing the Powerball, and a group of 26 airline workers split a $50 million jackpot.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot? One in 146,107,962.
Kansans also have been able to play the Powerball's Hot Lotto since March 2006. Its jackpots start at a modest $1 million, but the odds are better — one in 10,939,383.
In the Super Kansas Cash game, the jackpot is a minimum of $100,000. Your odds? One in 2,517,200.
The Kansas Lottery is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Voters approved the establishment of a state lottery in November 1986, and ticket sales began a year later.
SOURCE: The Kansas Lottery
What's the problem?
Apparently the puny jackpots — as in, say, only $163 million, or even more disconcerting, only $125 million.
Say what?
Apparently it's true.
As multi-state jackpots have grown to larger and larger thresholds over the last few years, the lesser jackpots don't seem to be as attractive. A seven-month streak of jackpots that were big, but not super-sized, dating back to June, sent lottery sales plummeting in many states, according to a recent study.
In the past six months, Mega Millions sales are down 30 percent in Texas compared with a year earlier and 38 percent in Massachusetts. Powerball sales are off 6 percent in Wisconsin.
So what's the problem?
Indeed, the stock market may be up, but lottery gamblers apparently aren't interested in the Dow.
It seems the deterrent is a run of "low" jackpots.
Mega Millions had five jackpots above $200 million in the 12 months that ended June 30, including one for $315 million. Since then, Mega Millions has fallen on, well, hard times, with no jackpot reaching $200 million. Jackpots of $125 million and $163 million have stirred little excitement or coverage.
But don't spend too much worrying about America's appetite for gambling. Despite struggles in traditional multi-state lotteries, most state lotteries are doing fine. A Winfield couple just won approximately $530,000 in the Super Kansas Cash jackpot, and while that won't make James and Sally Groom millionaires, it's a nice chunk of change.
Other games, including scratch off tickets, also are taking up some of the slack. As a result, lottery revenue is flat or up slightly in most sales.
Whew! We were getting worried.
After all, one of those puny $125 million jackpots is barely worth the effort. |
