It’s going to become harder to win the Powerball jackpot this weekend. You can blame the state of Florida for that.
Tomorrow night’s Powerball jackpot is 80 million dollars…with a 52-million dollar lump-sum payout. That could become relative pocket change, starting Sunday, when Florida becomes the 32nd state to join Powerball.
The addition of all those people means a restructuring of the game. More white ball numbers will be picked. Some red ball numbers are being removed. Lottery officials such as Gary Gonder say that should make jackpots bigger and create more smaller-prize winners. He says Missouri’s overall sales this year are flat and the biggest reason for that is a 19 percent drop from ticket sales last year.. Gonder says the lack of major jackpots is behind the slump.
The second prize rises to one-million dollars from 200-thousand under the new Power Play option, which involves a five-times multiple ball. Gonder says that step should create more millionaires and appeal to people who only buy tickets for the big jackpots.
And when somebody hits the jackpot, the new starting-over amount will be 20-million dollars, up five-million from today’s starting amount.
Download Bob Priddy’s story (:60 mp3)
