Changes in Powerball regulations.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Powerball players in the United States will have to endure changes to the lottery game that won’t necessarily help their odds of winning a jackpot.
The only silver lining to the new regulations is that players will have a better chance of winning smaller prizes — essentially the 36 states that participate in the multistate lottery are making it harder to win the top prize, but increasing the odds of winning any money.
Follow @ambazaarmag
For instance, the odds of winning $4 will improve from 1 in 111 to 1 in 92, according to the Detroit Free Press. However, the odds of winning the jackpot go from 1 in 175,223,510 to 1 in 292,201,338, reported Bay News 9.
Overall, your chances of winning something will improve from 1 in 32 to about 1 in 25, according to Syracuse Media Group .Additionally, the third level prize will increase from $10,000 to $50,000.
“Without these rules changes, the (Lottery) Division would need to remove the Powerball game from its portfolio of offerings and aid to education would be negatively affected,” the New York Gaming Commission wrote in a memo.
The new rules will take effect for the October 7 drawing.
“The proposed rule is intended to increase the odds of winning any prize while decreasing the odds to win the jackpot,” said Robert Williams, executive director of the New York Gaming Commission.
Powerball sales declined nationally by 19 percent last year because there was no huge jackpot. The same was true for the drop in Mega Millions sales, the other multistate lottery, New York officials reported.
1 Comment
The same company that runs this, also runs the UK lottery and about the same time of the changes stateside, the UK odds of winning anything substantial will decrease 300% but the public are being told the odds of winning is 1 in 9 which is the odds for getting a free draw with 2 balls.