Larger Starting Jackpot, Better Overall Odds Planned For Powerball
August 12, 2008--The Multi-state Lottery Association, operator of Powerball the world’s best known jackpot lottery game, will be making improvements to the game with the addition of Florida in January.
By adding some white ball numbers and removing some red ball numbers, Powerball officials aim to increase the size of the average jackpot won while still making it easier to win other prizes. The white ball side will move from 55 to 59 while the red ball side will fall from 42 to 39. The jackpot odds will be increased to 1 in 195.2 million while the overall odds of winning any prize will be dropped to 1 in 35.1.
“The addition of another state will spur demand for the game, and help contribute to larger jackpots,” said Nebraska Lottery Director Jim Haynes. “Powerball sales in Nebraska have always been strong, so we have not felt the same need to change the game that other states have. While I have consistently opposed changes to the game, Powerball is a multi-state game and the majority rules. The changes that will be made in January will add some exciting elements to the game.”
Here are some of the key improvements planned for Powerball:
1. The starting jackpot will increase from $15 million to $20 million, the world’s largest starting lotto game jackpot.
2. The average jackpot will increase from an expected average of $95.5 million to $141 million.
3. The jackpot pool percentage is being increased from (30.3% to 32.5%) to make the jackpot grow faster and larger.
4. The Match 5 prize with the Power Play option now has a guaranteed 5X multiplier, pushing the second prize to $1 million – and this $1 million prize will be paid in cash, in one lump sum.
5. The overall odds of the game have been reduced to add more than 3 million extra prizes won per year.
6. Power Play continues to be available on the bottom seven prize levels (2X to 5X).
The price of a Powerball ticket remains unchanged at $1, and players will continue to have the option to play enhanced prizes for $2 by adding Power Play. The Power Play option, which costs an extra $1 per play, offers a random multiplier of 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X for all cash prizes won (except the Jackpot). However, in the new game, the Match 5 prize is guaranteed to always draw the 5X multiplier, turning the $200,000 cash prize into a $1 million cash prize.
The unique Match 5 BONUS option, which increases the Match 5 prize pool when the game reaches record jackpots, will also continue as a popular feature of the game. The Match 5 BONUS feature allows us to occasionally create a rolling Match 5 pool that should offer even more fun and greater prizes for our players.
Multi-Draw Phase Out
With the upcoming changes to the Powerball game, the maximum number of Powerball multi-draws that can be purchased on a ticket will be reduced with each successive drawing starting on October 15, 2008. Once the final drawing (January 3, 2009) under the game's current matrix has taken place, it will again be possible to purchase multi-draw tickets for up to 24 consecutive drawings.
| Maximum Draws | Last Day to Purchase (before 8:30 p.m. CT) |
| 24 | October 15, 2008 |
| 23 | October 18, 2008 |
| 22 | October 22, 2008 |
| 21 | October 25, 2008 |
| 20 | October 29, 2008 |
| 19 | November 1, 2008 |
| 18 | November 5, 2008 |
| 17 | November 8, 2008 |
| 16 | November 12, 2008 |
| 15 | November 15, 2008 |
| 14 | November 19, 2008 |
| 13 | November 22, 2008 |
| 12 | November 26, 2008 |
| 11 | November 29, 2008 |
| 10 | December 3, 2008 |
| 9 | December 6, 2008 |
| 8 | December 10, 2008 |
| 7 | December 13, 2008 |
| 6 | December 17, 2008 |
| 5 | December 20, 2008 |
| 4 | December 24, 2008 |
| 3 | December 27, 2008 |
| 2 | December 31, 2008 |
| 1 | January 3, 2009 |
| 24 on new matrix | January 4, 2009 (5:00 a.m.) |
Tickets can be purchased from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (Central Time) any day of the week except from 8:30 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. on drawing nights. On drawing nights, tickets purchased up to 8:30 p.m. will be valid for that night’s draw. Tickets purchased after 8:30 p.m. will be valid for the next available drawing.
Nebraska Lottery Powerball players have claimed more than $510 million in jackpots.
In addition to the record $365 million jackpot shared by eight Lincoln co-workers in the February 18, 2006, drawing, there have been eight other jackpot winners in Nebraska since the Nebraska Lottery began offering Powerball in July of 1994.
- Lyle and Dianne Fleharty of Hastings, $50.1 million, July 30, 1994
- Connie Daily of North Platte, $50.5 million (split $101 million with an Indiana winner), November 30, 1994
- Donald and Rita Polak of Prague, $8.1 million on April 19, 1995
- Greg Klein of Milford, $2.5 million (split $5 million with an Indiana winner), April 24, 1996
- Richard and Iris Johnson of Ayr, $18.5 million (cash option on $33 million), November 28, 1998
- Marilyn and Charles Anderson of North Platte, $2.54 million (cash option on $10 million split with a Kentucky winner), November 3, 1999
- Shirley Brewer of Omaha, $7.5 million (cash option on $14 million), August 26, 2000
- Steven Herber of Omaha, $5.6 million (three-way split of $30 million, $16.5 million cash option), December 22, 2004
This is the fifth redesign for the best-known multi-state jackpot game since it was created in 1992. The last change was in August 2005. Changes to the current game are expected to be in place by January 2009.
Powerball was launched in April, 1992. The 32 lotteries offering the new game are: Arizona Lottery, Colorado Lottery, Connecticut Lottery Corporation, D.C. Lottery District of Columbia), Delaware Lottery, Idaho Lottery, Hoosier Lottery (Indiana), Iowa Lottery, Kansas Lottery, Kentucky Lottery Corporation, Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Maine Lottery, Minnesota State Lottery, Missouri Lottery, Montana Lottery, Nebraska Lottery, New Hampshire Lottery Commission, New Mexico Lottery, North Carolina Education Lottery, North Dakota Lottery, Oklahoma Lottery, Oregon Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, Rhode Island Lottery, South Carolina Education Lottery, South Dakota Lottery, Tennessee Education Lottery, Virgin Islands Lottery, Vermont Lottery, Wisconsin Lottery, West Virginia Lottery. The Florida Lottery expects to begin selling the game in 2009.
Published on 08/12/2008