"If the jackpots don't get quite as high it's because MORE STATES ARE PLAYING and PEOPLE ARE WINNING JACKPOTS MORE OFTEN."

That isn't how it works.  How often the jackpots are won is and always will be a function of the odds, but probability is only a trend and there will be variations on both sides of the norm. The more people play the more money goes into the prize pool and the higher the jackpots get.  More people playing means more winners, but it also means more money for prizes at the same time, and the jackpots grow faster when more people play.

The article says that sales are down, but it also says that the previous year had record sales as a result of unusually large jackpots. Some people would look at the record year and see a glass that's more than half full, but it looks like now that sales have dropped back to what is probably typical they're crying that their very big glass is half empty.

It also looks to me like the numbers in the article are wrong. The annuity jackpots offered from June 2005 through June 2006 totaled about $1.5 billion.  Figuring that the cash was about 60% of the annuity value there would have been about $900 million in the jackpot pool. With 30% of sales going to the jackpot that means they would have sold $3 billion dollars worth of tickets, or twice what the article lists as the record sales.

By comparison  the total annuity jackpots offered for the previous year totaled just over $1 billion. Interest rates were lower, so the total cash may have been  about 65% or about 680 million. That would be a bit shy of $2.3 billion in sales.

If those numbers are close to accurate the record year saw sales that were about 30% higher than the previous year. That would make current sales that are down by 30%  fairly close to  the sales for the year before the record sales.

Do people really have "jackpot fatigue"?  Maybe, but the sky isn't falling. At least not yet.

i agree.it quit being fun for me when the matrix changed.i mainly have fun with pick 5 now.i'll take 200,000 dollars just as soon as i would 200 million dollars.

This is absolutely correct!

The issue is NOT that the jackpots are too low.

The problem is that the odds are so high that many people rationalize that they are not going to win.

The "magic level" where people start coming out in droves to buy tickets is a perception level that kicks in when the jackpot is so high that it overcomes their rational thoughts about not being able to win.

That's all it is.  It is NOT that people think $100 million is a small amount.  No way!  It's that they have such a strong belief that they will not win that it seems pointless -- even wasteful -- to plunk down a dollar (or $5 or $10).  Buying a pack of gum with that dollar would bring more joy.

What if they created an anti-mutli-state game?  One that focused on generating as many millionaires as possible (given the constraints of the prize payout percentages, etc.).  If they generated 20 or 30 millionaires every drawing (I'm talking $1 million in cash, not some "cash value" that chops it down to $200,000 after taxes), does anyone think people wouldn't play because $1 million isn't enough?

You guys are right on the money and that is evident with the interest that people

have with the raffle drawings as of late.  I mean these tickets are $20 most of the time

and people have no problem buying 1 or more of those.  They do think the players

are ignorant to the odds and just see the money, but we are not.  Most of us anyway

If they would toss out the pencil necked number crunchers who sold them an "80's all for me none for you" mindset with current matrices and have a whole new campaign bringing back classic Powerball and Big Game ~ NOT Mega Millions ~ then my bet is people would get off their wallets.

Texas rolled back their regular lotto matrix but didn't roll it back to original so are still suffering their folly.

A prime example of ruining a perfectly good game was our previous greedy lottery director ending Lotto Georgia 6-46 in favor of the now defunct Lotto South 6-49.  Odds up, people quit playing, end of story.

They just don't seem to get it, must be they're living in too much smog downtown to realize what players want and keep showing with their wallets.  Or maybe it's too many 'perks' from companies selling lame concepts so they can provide supplies for games.

Lowering the matrix back to original is a win/win for everyone .... it's a slam dunk, it's a winner in the biggest way.

As Todd eloquently put people have to BELIEVE they can win in order to spend money on fun/joy of trying to achieve their dream.

It sounds like we are getting a pretty good consensus here on the odds being too long.  I was very frustrated when I posted a protest thread here before PB raised the odds and some people insisted raising the odds would be good for the game.  Apparently, I have been completely vindicated.  The odds went up and sales went down. 

I keep a spreadsheet of what I would do with the money if I won and when the jackpot starts to get over $100 million I already have every dream fulfilled.  When it gets over $200 million, I almost stop caring because there are only so many yachts, houses and cars I can make reasonable use of.  I know some players want to buy a country or start an airline, but the vast majority don't need or even want all of that.  I just want an option to play lower odds and have a little better chance of winning.  Give us two games, a 50million:1 and a 100million:1, I will play whichever suites me at the moment.

Lastly, I wanted to comment on the guy who listed "more states entering the PB or MM" is a reason the pots get hit at the low end.  I have said it in the past that the number of players has nothing to do with the average winning pot size, it is the odds that determine this.  I almost think that this misconception is put out by the lottery association to justify the raising the odds, if not, then I am not sure why people would not know this.

I agree!

I agree!

I agree!

I think that people will become desensitized to any jackpot amount, over time.  The odds are just about right for a multistate game.  Let people play state games if they want an easier target.

I do agree that it's too tough to win a prize.  I say, reconstruct the matrix with fewer bonus balls.  Increase lower tier payouts a bit.  Maybe a 5/69 + 1/15?  Or 5/55 + 2/10.  They have 168m and 156m combinations, respectively.

Give out $1, $2, $3, prizes for matching a bonus ball or two.  If people won on every 10 or 15 lines, they would come back, and feel that they were so close!  That will drive interest, fun and sales.