A Few Words From Our Readers …

We’ve been getting some great comments from our blog followers, so I’m highlighting some of the best with their own blog entry. Love the comments, keep ‘em coming!

A blog reader named Gary asked a question that we’ve heard from time to time through the years about Powerball and its giant jackpots: “Has the Iowa Lottery, specifically Powerball, ever considered changing to pari-mutuel prize awards rather than fixed sums? I think that would be much more attractive to potential players. Thanks.”

His question was followed a comment from Karen, who addressed the same issue, just in a slightly different way: “If you would split the big jackpots amongst several players it would benefit more players.”

Here’s my reply: Powerball has been redesigned a few times over the years to add new features and keep its jackpots growing. One thing that has never changed, however, is Powerball’s focus on big jackpots. For all those who say they’d like to see the jackpot split amongst more people when it reaches a certain level, there are just as many folks who says they only play when the jackpot gets up there. I know that for now, Powerball will remain a big jackpot game. But we’re always looking for feedback and ideas, so I’ll keep Gary and Karen’s comments on hand and share them with other folks in the Powerball system.

One of my favorite comments to our blog so far comes from Herb: “I have bought Powerball tickets from day one and have never gotten more than three numbers, the red one maybe twice. I have a better chance of getting run over going to the mailbox.”

My reply: LOL, Herb! I have to admit I don’t know what the statistics are on getting run over while on your way to the mailbox, but that would be bad, so please be careful! :) Powerball has always been a big jackpot game, and with those big jackpots come long odds. It isn’t really possible to have one without the other. But we do offer a lot of other games you can play if you’re frustrated with Powerball. Hot Lotto, for example, has Powerball-style play, but with easier odds. And its jackpot is currently more than $7 million! Then there is Iowa’s $100,000 Cash Game, an Iowa-only game with drawings Monday-Saturday. Its top prize is $100,000 and we have lots of jackpot winners in it. An Algona woman just won the game’s top prize on Friday!