North Dakota Lottery: N.D. to add two new lottery gamesNorth Dakota lottery players will have a second game to play come June 24, four months after the state introduced Powerball.
The North Dakota Lottery has announced the arrival of Hot Lotto, a game lottery officials describe as similar to Powerball.
For a $1 ticket, Hot Lotto players have a shot at a $1 million jackpot. Players select five numbers from 1 to 39 and one number from 1 to 19 and have a 1 in 16 chance of winning.
Drawing dates will take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays and jackpot prizes will roll over to the next drawing when there are no winners.
As a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association, North Dakota is only allowed to participate when another state agrees to participate in the game, a requirement North Dakota Lottery Director Chuck Keller said restricts the state's options.
North Dakota approached an adjacent state to participate in a two-state lottery, but the state declined, Keller said.
But North Dakota Lottery's director of sales said working with another state helps pay for prizes.
"It gives us an opportunity to do something we wouldn't be able to do otherwise," said Eileen Walsh.
Keller said the games were chosen in an effort to provide lottery players with a variety of prizes and odds and because of each game's success in other states.
Both Hot Lotto and Wild Card 2 were scheduled to begin in June, but Walsh the introduction dates were changed to avoid confusing players because of the games' differences.
Wild Card 2 provides players with two plays for each $1 ticket and a 1 in 6 odds of winning. Players pick five numbers between 1 and 31 and 1 of 16 wild cards. The game will be introduced in September or October.
North Dakota recently requested authorization for 2 by 2 and is planning on introducing the game early next year, Keller said.
Seven other states participate in Hot Lotto, including Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota.
The Minnesota State Lottery has had great success with Hot Lotto since its April 2002 start, said Debbie Hoffman, manager of public relations for the state.
