 |
 |
|
POWERBALL TURNS 20, GETS A MAKEOVER, AND SEEKS MORE MILLIONAIRES
January 10, 2012
Powerball is growing up. The nation’s oldest multistate lottery game turns 20 this year and is celebrating the milestone by offering players bigger jackpots, better winning odds, and more opportunities to become millionaires.
Effective January 15, 2012, a Powerball ticket will cost $2, the starting jackpot doubles its present starting amount to $40,000,000 and will grow by at least $10 million with every unclaimed jackpot. The game’s Second Prize win increases from $200,000 to $1 million. And, winning odds rise to 1:31.8 versus 1:35 with the previous version.
Winning odds are affected by a slight revamp of the game’s play structure. Players will continue to select their first five numbers from a pool of 59. However, the pool for the Powerball number will be limited to 35, which is calculated to produce greater winning odds.
Powerball will continue to offer players nine ways to win. The Power Play add-on win will be set at $2 million. Even the least among the winners will see a bonus in the new game structure. Players matching only the Powerball will see their prize bump from $3 to $4.
“We’re excited about the new and improved Powerball, says Buddy Roogow, executive director of the D.C. Lottery. “We celebrated our historic $144 million Powerball grand prize win just a couple of years ago. Last fiscal year, we paid out over $6.5 million in winnings to our Powerball players. Now, the increased winning odds could help us congratulate D.C.’s next jackpot winner soon.”
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
