A new Pick 10 game is also on the way
For the first time in its 33-year history, the Ohio Lottery plans to hold Sunday drawings.
Adding Sunday drawings to the daily Pick 3, Pick 4 and Rolling Cash 5 games will mean additional sales of $26 million to $34 million next year, with increased profits of $10.9 million to $14.3 million, lottery director Mike Abouserhal said at a Commissioners meeting in March.
Commission members were briefed on the specifics of the new draws at the April 16 commission meeting. The approval of the commissioners isn't required for Sunday drawings, spokeswoman Mardele Cohen said.
Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat and Methodist minister elected in November, approved the plan for Sunday drawings, Abouserhal said. He said the lottery has traditionally sold lottery tickets and cashed winning tickets on Sunday and was only adding drawings.
"The governor is aware that this brings Ohio in line with our neighboring states," Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said. Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania have Sunday lottery drawings but West Virginia does not.
Rev. Rebecca Tollefson, executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches representing 17 Christian denominations, said it was sad that the lottery was extending drawings to a traditional day of worship.
"It goes against the grain of everything we stand for," she said from Columbus. "It's sad that the lottery folks feel they have to go to Sunday when so many people regard that as a Sabbath day."
The lottery hopes to begin Sunday drawings by May.
"Commission members were briefed on the specifics of the new draws at the April 16 commission meeting. The approval of the commissioners isn't required....."
Just what is the job of the lottery commission?
KENO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that is something new for "Ohio"?
I actually never thought "Ohio" would introduce a "Sunday" drawing?
The 10 of 80 sounds interesting though! I will have to see what that is all about later?
If they are going to do it "Sunday's", we have one more day of chances to win!
I just hope that they will have a "live" or "televised" drawing for the Sunday draws.
They took away "live tv" draws from the midday a few years back. And it has not been "live" since then.
If they are going to promote this and conduct it efficiently, there should be "all" live drawings for "all" the games regardless of the televised costs.
I really dislike when there is no "live" drawings due to a sporting events, etc....
Correction, the odds of winning a Pick 10 prize will be 1 in 9.054, not 1 in 4.72 as said in the article.
You may not be accounting for 20 numbers drawn. I think the article is right.
Oh yes I am, look at the 10-spot odds for NY Quick Draw or any similar game, which follows the same format.
It's about time. Glad to see another Keno game in the neighborhood. I'm sure the Ohioans will love playing it. Michigan has had it for quite some time, and I was lucky enough to win the top prize of 250k about ten years ago. I'd love to see Michigan have 2 a day drawings for it, as Ohio plans to. Not to mention being able to win 500k as the top prize. As for the Sunday drawings, why not!
Let's say the Pick 10 is a variation of Keno. In live (casino) Keno the matrix is 80, and 20 balls are drawn, but it's up to you to play anything from a one spot to a fifteen spot.
If you have to play 10 numbers it's not really Keno. In real Keno you can go for the lower payoffs. Hitting none of 10 or five of ten isn't as easy as it sounds.
Yeah, you're right, I'll update the article.
I too was surprised when I read that the legislators had voted for Sunday draws back in February, but terminals have been open on Sunday so it was inevitable. The Ohio Lottery website is usually updated within a half hour of the draw so it's much better than it was when we got a busy signal calling their 800 number. The Cleveland TV station scrolls the numbers at the bottom of the screen after the Evening draw but doesn't after the Midday draw.
The Pick-10 Keno style game must have been purposed before they evaluated the sales of Classic Lotto and the April 16th Raffle. They sold less than 400,000 raffle tickets but paid off the same amount of prizes as if they had sold-out all 625,000 tickets.
Pick-3 is still the most popular online game so Sunday draws should increase their profits but adding new games will probably decrease the profits of other current online games.
Rev. Rebecca Tollefson, executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches representing 17 Christian denominations, said it was sad that the lottery was extending drawings to a traditional day of worship.
"It goes against the grain of everything we stand for," she said from Columbus. "It's sad that the lottery folks feel they have to go to Sunday when so many people regard that as a Sabbath day."
....and so many more people feel that Sunday is another day to win. I'm glad they're going to Sunday drawings... it's about time. Having a Sunday drawing doesn't affect people going to church... and people going to church doesn't affect my right to gamble any day I choose.
Does Ohio use real drawings?