Powerball® Enhancements Start January 2012

July 6, 2011– The Multi-State Lottery Association, operator of Powerball® the world’s best known jackpot lottery game, will be making improvements to the game starting on January 15, 2012.

Changes to Powerball will coincide with the 20th year of the multi-state game. Jackpots will start at $40 million, which is double the current $20 million starting jackpot. In addition to increasing the size of the starting jackpot, Powerball officials aim to make it easier to win other prizes. The white ball side will remain at 59 while the red ball side will fall from 39 to 35. The ticket price will change to $2 per play.

The changes to Powerball are a response to player requests for a game that offers large jackpots and better overall odds of winning.

“One of the comments we frequently receive from our players is that they want more chances to win a non-jackpot prize,” said Nebraska Lottery Director Jim Haynes. “The changes that will be made next January will add some exciting elements to the game, and allow us to continue to support good causes across Nebraska.”

Here are some of the key improvements planned for Powerball:

1. The starting jackpot will increase from $20 million to $40 million, the world’s largest starting lotto game jackpot.
2. The odds of winning the jackpot prize and the overall odds of winning will improve, to 1 in 175 million and 1 in 31.8, respectively.
3. The Match 5 prize will change from $200,000 to $1 million.
4. The lowest prize will change from $3 to $4.

The price of a Powerball ticket will change from $1 to $2. Players will continue to have the option to play for enhanced prizes by adding Power Play® for an extra $1 per play.

Regular Prizes                     Power Play Prizes

$1 million                  ->        $2 million

$10,000                   ->        $40,000

$100                        ->        $200

$7                            ->        $14

$4                            ->        $12

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; and
• Steven Herber of Omaha, $5.6 million (three-way split of $30 million, $16.5 million cash option), December 22, 2004.

This is the sixth redesign for the best-known multi-state jackpot game since it was created in 1992. The last change was in January 2009. The first Powerball drawing using the new prize matrix will occur on January 18, 2012.

The 44 lotteries offering Powerball are: Arizona Lottery, Arkansas Lottery, Colorado Lottery, Connecticut Lottery Corporation, D.C. Lottery & CGCB, Delaware State Lottery, Florida Lottery, Georgia Lottery Corporation, Hoosier Lottery, Idaho Lottery, Illinois Lottery, Iowa Lottery, Kansas Lottery, Kentucky Lottery Corporation, Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Maine Lottery, Maryland Lottery, Massachusetts Lottery, Michigan Lottery, Minnesota State Lottery, Missouri Lottery, Montana Lottery, Nebraska Lottery, New Hampshire Lottery Commission, New Jersey Lottery, New Mexico Lottery Authority, New York Lottery, North Carolina Education Lottery, North Dakota Lottery, Ohio Lottery, Oklahoma Lottery, Oregon Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, Rhode Island Lottery, South Carolina Education Lottery, South Dakota Lottery, Tennessee Education Lottery, Texas Lottery, U.S. Virgin Islands Lottery, Vermont Lottery, Virginia Lottery, Washington Lottery, Wisconsin Lottery and the West Virginia Lottery.