Lucky Lotto

North Carolina to Add Mega Millions

luckylotto — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:51:25 +0000

In the recent past most states offered lottery players either Powerball or Mega Millions. Many states are starting to offer players both mega jackpot lotteries in an attempt to boost lottery ticket sales and add more revenues to strapped state treasuries. Recently Tennessee agreed to offer its lottery players both lotteries and now North Carolina will offer players both Powerball and Mega Millions.

North Carolina’s lottery commission recently voted to add the multi state Mega Millions lottery to North Carolina’s lottery menu. The Mega Millions lottery is expected to be available for North Carolina lottery players by January 2010. The addition of Mega Millions will give players four chances to win every week during two weekly drawings. Mega Millions jackpots routinely top $100 million dollars. Despite astronomical odds both Powerball and mega Millions attract millions of players on a regular basis. Powerball odds stand at 1 in 195,249,054 and Mega Millions odds are 1 in 175,711,536.

States that offer lotteries usually offer only one of the multi state games. Both Virginia and Georgia are expected to offer both games in the future. Many see the addition of both lotteries in many states as a move towards a national lottery which could be offered as early as fall 2010. North Carolina Lottery Executive Director Tom Shaheen, who is also president of the association of Powerball states, expects a significant increase in ticket sales. An 18 to 25% increase in ticket sales is predicted which could mean $38 million to $52 million more lottery dollars.

Dipak Desai, manager of the Ballantyne BP on Ballantyne Commons Parkway which is one of the biggest Charlotte area Powerball ticket sellers stated, “In a bad economy like this, people are trying to look for every bit of luck they can find.” The addition of Mega Millions could actually create a few new jobs in North Carolina. Cathy Oreshack, a clerk at the BP station located at Spring Forest Road in Raleigh said, “Both of them are going to have huge jackpots two days a week, and that’s going to require more manpower in the store.”

Tennessee to Add Mega Millions

luckylotto — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:00:07 +0000

It’s no secret to lottery players that multi state lotteries like Powerball and Mega Millions are able to offer players significantly higher jackpots than most state lotteries. Many states are now offering both multi state lotteries in an attempt to boost revenues. The Tennessee Education Lottery Board of Directors has just approved the addition of the Mega Millions lottery game and it is expected that the new lottery will increase lottery revenues in Tennessee by $10 to $15 million dollars a year. Rebecca Hargrove, President and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery stated, “Bringing Mega Millions into our portfolio of games is a win for both players and education. It’s clear that large jackpots generate excitement in Tennessee. Adding Mega Millions will mean more sales and additional dollars for the education programs we fund.”

Until recently states could only offer one of the mega jackpot games but because of a decision reached during a meeting of all U.S. lottery jurisdictions states can now offer both Powerball and Mega Millions. Tennessee is expected to offer the Mega Millions game in early 2010. The Mega Millions lottery is currently played in 12 states and Powerball is played 31 states and the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. The combined population of the states offering Powerball and Mega Millions is about 285 million.

The Tennessee Education Lottery has been a success story and revenues are about $5 million dollars a week. Proceeds from lottery ticket sales fund educational programs including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. The Tennessee Education Lottery began selling lottery tickets in 2004 and since then has raised about $1.5 billion for educational programs and has paid out nearly $3.4 billion in prizes and $375 million in lottery retailer commissions. Lottery director Hargrove said, “It’s clear that a large percentage of our players support a mega-jackpot game, and I’m optimistic about the success of adding another such game.”

Entire Police Force Quits After Lottery Win

luckylotto — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:36 +0000

Lottery syndicates are a great way for groups of people to pool their money to purchase several lottery tickets and increase their chances of winning a huge payout. One of the biggest wins ever recorded is a 2006 Powerball win of $365 million which was shared by eight persons working at a Nebraska Conagra meat packing plant. They chose to receive a lump sum payout of $177,270,519.67 after taxes. Lottery syndicates are common in the workplace and many syndicates have shared big lottery payouts.

Most of us have speculated at one time or another we would do with the money if we were lucky enough to win a huge Powerball or Mega Millions win. Many of us dream about that big win which would allow us to quit out jobs and live a life of luxury. Lotteries take place around the world and most industrialized countries have national lotteries with considerable jackpots. One of these lotteries, in Hungary has left the town of Budaors without a police force.

The entire fifteen man police force of Budaors quit their jobs after winning a £10 pound ($16,415,014 USD) jackpot in the Hungarian lottery. The entire fifteen man force resigned en masse when the win was announced. The win was the sixth largest in the history of the Hungarian lottery. Police chiefs are scrambling to recruit a new police force but the mass resignation has left the town without any kind of law enforcement and residents are justifiably worried about possible lawlessness.

Last week was certainly a good for odd lottery news. In Columbus Ohio a woman who claimed to have won the Ohio Lottery caused a riot at a Burlington Coat Factory store when she promised to pay for purchases of up to $500 for each customer in the store. Customers called relatives and friends and when it was revealed that the woman not only did not win the lottery but had no money causing a riot and police had to be called. Stay tuned for more odd lottery news from around the world.

Billions Up For Grabs in Spain’s El Gordo Lottery

luckylotto — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:09:31 +0000

The Spanish El Gordo (translation-the fat one) Lottery is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, lottery in the world. El Gordo routinely offers global lottery players the chance to win billions of euros in prizes. The next El Gordo draw is scheduled for December, 22nd 2009 and jackpots totaling over $3,310,487,073 (USD) will be awarded to the lucky winners of El Gordo.

Best of all El Gordo lottery tickets can be ordered online from anywhere in the world and participation in this super lottery is not limited to EU citizens. Demand for El Gordo tickets is huge and there are a limited number of tickets on sale. El Gordo lottery jackpots are paid in a lump sum and are free of Spanish government taxes of any kind. Unlike many North American lotteries El Gordo has multiple winners.

The Lottery starts with 195 jackpots worth $4,452,327 followed by 195 jackpots worth $1,653,989 followed by several smaller jackpots. Approximately 340,000 lucky sixth prize winners will receive jackpots of about $1,500. According to the El Gordo website one in three lottery tickets is a prizewinner. 100,000 tickets are printed for each El Gordo lottery draw and over 37,000 prizes are paid out. This gives El Gordo players 1 in 3 odds of winning one of the many jackpots and prizes.

70% of El Gordo ticket revenue is paid out in prizes and the El Gordo website states that over 1,202,490 people will be cash prize winners in 2009. Competition for El Gordo lottery tickets is usually keen and players are advised to purchase their tickets well in advance of the drawings. There are many websites that will facilitate the purchase of El Gordo lottery tickets for non Spanish citizens. There are only two El Gordo drawings left this year, the first on November 7th and the last drawing of the year takes place on December 22nd.

Fake Lottery Winner Causes Riot

luckylotto — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:31:38 +0000

An Ohio woman who claimed she had just won the Ohio lottery pulled up in front of a Burlington Coat Factory store in Columbus Ohio and announced she would pay for everyone’s purchases up to $500. Linda Brown of Columbus Ohio went on a shopping spree which began when she hired a Hummer stretch limousine and had the driver take her to the Burlington Factory store. She then announced to customers that she had won the lottery and would pay for everyone’s purchases up to $500.

Columbus police officer Lt. Michael Deakins said, “Well, of course, people like to hear that. Apparently they were in line calling relatives who were not at the store and told them to come.” Chaos reigned as customers’ flooded check out registers and one report said there were about 500 customers inside the store and another 1,000 outside trying to get in the store. Officer Deakins said, “She was telling people she won $1.5 million. But it ends up she didn’t win anything. She had no money to pay for anything.”

An hour after she arrived Brown had the limo driver take her to the bank but returned to the store without any money. In the meantime store employees had called in more police officers to control the crowds gathered outside the store. By the time store employees realized that lottery imposter Brown had no funds and wasn’t going to pay for anything she had taken off in the limo.

When angry customers realized that the whole thing was a hoax they began to trash the store. Columbus Police Detective Steven Nace stated, “Everybody was like, ‘I still want my free stuff,’ and that started the riot. It looks like (Hurricane) Katrina went through the store.” Many customers began throwing clothing on the floor and some grabbed merchandise and fled. Fake lottery winner Brown was arrested on outstanding warrants for aggravated menacing, misuse of a 911 system and causing false alarms. Brown is undergoing a mental health evaluation.

US May Have National Lottery in 2010

luckylotto — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:12:04 +0000

The United States may be the next country to establish a national lottery. At present the United States has two major multi state lotteries, Mega Millions and Powerball. In the not so recent past states had to decide which multi state lottery they would participate in most states sold either Powerball or Mega Millions lottery tickets. At the present time Powerball is played in 31 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands and Mega Millions is played in 12 states. Recent news reports indicate that both multi state lotteries plan to cross sell tickets in several states.

The consortium running Mega Millions and the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball have agreed to cross sell lottery tickets for both games starting next year. Tom Shaheen of the Multi-State Lottery Association stated, “It’s a way to increase sales and reach out to more players.” In effect both could become national lotteries and it is estimated they could reach a population base of 285 million.

There is also talk of a super lottery but the new lottery is in the planning stages. Mr. Shaheen states, “If we develop a national game, it will probably be at a different price point. It might be $2. It might be $5. It will be a single game, but we haven’t worked out all the details of that yet. The other two games, I believe, would remain intact.” According to one Powerball official the new game could be introduced as soon as next fall.

State officials had long noticed that when jackpots grew lottery players would go out of state to purchase tickets for whichever lottery had the largest jackpot. This motivated several states to reach agreements to sell tickets for both lotteries. Cross selling will give lottery players the ability to play both large jackpot games in their home states. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for a national lottery-stay tuned.

Online Casino Suite

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:30:29 +0000

Onlinecasinosuite.com is a pretty impressive directory of the best online casinos, gaming software, and videos and books. For anyone who is interested in gambling online, this is a special treat. You can review detailed information about each online casino and decide which one best fits your needs. You can read about which online casino offers you the best cash bonuses, you can view the wagering requirements involved to cash out your winnings and much more. Each online casino is rated based on research done by this website, so you know , the information you are about to read is the real deal. Whether you are interested in playing poker or blackjack, baccarat or roulette, onlinecasinosuite gives you all the top sites according to your preference. Are you a blackjack player? Great! The top seven online casinos are listed where you can view information such as games, bonuses, what software is used and whether the casino accepts US players or not. A detailed review of each of the 7 casinos is also available for review before you pick. If you want to play some online games for free, you can also do so by reading reviews about the casinos that offer them. Good luck gambling!!

Massachusetts Adds Powerball

luckylotto — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:25:13 +0000

Many state lotteries are suffering from the effects of the current global recession. Several states have reported diminished revenues from their lotteries and many states are scrambling to attract new players and retain current lottery players. Many states are adding new games and promotions in an attempt to make up for the shortfall in current lottery revenues. In some states lottery revenues are used exclusively for education while in other states lottery revenues are used to fund various government projects and programs. In Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo predicted a $1 billion state budget shortfall.

In an attempt to make up for this shortfall Massachusetts is adding the popular multi state Powerball lottery in 2010. Powerball tickets will go on sale in Massachusetts during the first half of 2010 and the state hopes the addition of Powerball will bring in millions in new lottery revenue. The Massachusetts Powerball deal is part of a larger 45 state deal which would allow the states to sell both Mega Millions and Powerball lottery tickets. Massachusetts lottery officials predict that Powerball could bring in $25 to $40 million in new lottery revenue for Massachusetts.

The lottery deal was reached by the 12 Mega Millions states and the 33-member Multi-State Lottery Association which represents the Powerball lottery. Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill stated, “Our perseverance and commitment to raising money for Massachusetts was a key component to getting this arrangement done. This, by definition, is a win-win for everyone involved, especially the taxpayers of Massachusetts.”

The Powerball lottery features one usually large jackpot and several smaller prizes. Powerball drawings are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Powerball players select five numbers between one and 59 and a Powerball number between one and 39. The odds of winning a Powerball prize which can range from $3 dollars to millions are about 1 in 35. Massachusetts lottery players will now be able to play both Mega Millions and Powerball.

Twitter Lottery Gaining Popularity

luckylotto — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:13:52 +0000

Twitter is an incredibly popular social networking and micro blogging service that allows its members to send short messages known as’ tweets.’ Since its creation in 2006 Twitter has grown into one of the most used social networks and many Hollywood stars and political figures post on Twitter regularly. It was only a matter of time before lottery games entered the world of Twitter.

The Twitter lottery is very simple and the odds of winning are somewhat better than most state lotteries. The odds of winning the Twitter lottery are 1 in 14 million while the odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot is about 1 in 176 million. The Twitter lottery has no fixed jackpot and has three months to advance. At present there is no way of knowing just how big the jackpot will get. The jackpot gets bigger every time a user accesses the Twitter lottery home page. The owners state that the jackpot money will come from publicity. The Twitter lottery is open to anyone around the world.

To enter the Twitter lottery simply open a Twitter account and visit the Twitter lottery home page. The jackpot is directly related to the value of the Twitter lottery website and is clearly posted at the top of the Twitter lottery home page and is updated daily. Entry is free and Twitter lottery players are encouraged to tell their friends, co workers, and family about the lottery. The more site visits the Twitter lottery home page receives the more valuable the site becomes and the jackpot increases with each visit.

The winner will be selected on December 25th 2009 and a video will be posted on YouTube as proof of the payout. The Twitter lottery was started by Peter H, a college student who attends Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada. Peter H. has this to say about the size of the jackpot; “The actual jackpot is directly based on the estimated value of this web site which can be seen at the top of this home page. It is updated daily. As the web site becomes more popular, the value of the site increases. The beauty of this concept is that it’s free and the public plays an important role in how large they want to see this jackpot become just by telling friends, co-workers or even family to participate. The value is consistently growing everyday.”

The final winner will be announced via a ‘tweet’ and the winner will receive a round trip ticket to Alberta where the winner will receive a certified check. This is a great opportunity and best of all, it’s free!

States Lose Lottery Revenue

luckylotto — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:15:32 +0000

Many state lotteries are reporting a downturn in ticket sales and revenue for the first time. The decline in revenue will adversely affect states where the lottery is used to fund education. Although many states are expanding gambling in hopes of shoring up their budgets the decline in sales indicates that gaming is not exempt from economic forces such as the current global recession. The casino industry has also reported a drop in revenues.

States that have invested heavily in gaming have been hit hard. New Jersey reported a $62 million dollar drop and Nevada reported a $122 million dollar drop in gambling related revenue. Many states have taken measures to entice gamblers back to casinos. New Jersey repealed a smoking ban and Illinois may allow free drinks on riverboat casinos.

Indiana has also been hard hit by the downturn. The Indiana lottery reported a 17% drop in lottery profits. The state’s take from the Hoosier lottery dropped from $217 million to $178 million. Higher priced Indiana lottery tickets have been partially blamed for recent losses. Indiana lottery players are purchasing lower priced lottery tickets and many players cite smaller jackpots as the reason for the sharp decline. The largest jackpots available to Indiana lottery players are the jackpots offered by the multi state Mega Millions lottery.

Oregon and Arizona have both reported declining sales which are affecting many government agencies that rely on lottery funding. Many states fund education exclusively through lottery revenues and declining sales are affecting education funding. Many experts say the decline is temporary and say that the lottery and casino industries have room to expand. Other experts say that states should not depend on gambling revenues to fix state deficits. Lucy Dadayan of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government stated, “The data shows that states take a real chance in depending on gambling because this revenue is not likely to keep pace with growing budgetary needs. In the absence of new types of gambling, it can become a zero-sum game as states compete for the same pot.”

Because of the downturn many states will be forced to come up with new games and original promotions designed to attract new players and retain the present lottery customer base. It is widely hoped that once the recession loosens its grip on the economy lottery ticket sales will increase again.