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October 13, 2009
They are the two “marquee games” in American lotteries: Mega Millions and Powerball. Each lottery state currently has one, but not the other. However, the Mega Millions consortium and Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) have reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in all U.S. lottery jurisdictions.
The agreement means that lotteries from across the United States, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, will be able to choose to offer their lottery players both jackpot games via their respective retailers.
"Virginians will enjoy playing Powerball at home," said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. “Having Powerball along with Mega Millions and our other games will be more fun for players and will be a plus for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. Although much still needs to be done and any projection of additional revenue for the Commonwealth would be premature at this time, we are confident that Virginia’s K-12 public schools will benefit.”
States that currently sell Powerball and other lottery products will have the opportunity to begin offering Mega Millions tickets to their players via authorized lottery retailers. As a result of this agreement, Mega Millions states will then be able to offer the Powerball game to complement their existing game mix. No firm date has been set for implementation, although it is hoped that it could be in early 2010.
Mega Millions is currently played in 12 states, with a combined population of roughly 160 million. Powerball is currently available from 33 lotteries (31 states plus the District of Columbia and Virgin Islands) with a combined population of roughly 125 million.
Nearly 95 cents of each dollar spent on the Virginia Lottery by players goes back to the Commonwealth in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retailer commissions. Since 1999, all Virginia Lottery profits have been designated solely to K-12 public school education in the Commonwealth. In that time, the Lottery has turned over more than $4 billion for Virginia’s public schools. The latest annual profits of $439.1 million currently represent about 6 percent of state funding for public education in Virginia. In 21 years, the Lottery has sold more than $21.1 billion in tickets, awarded more than $1.1 billion in retailer commissions and paid more than $11.6 billion in prizes to players.
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