Will Powerball marry up with the British lottery or even Euro Millions, creating the largest lottery jackpots on the face of the earth?
Maybe. But Charles Strutt, director of the 32-member Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball from offices in Iowa, said it was still too early to tell.
According to Ed Van Petten, Kansas Lottery director and a former chairman of the multi-state Powerball group, talk of a world lottery game has been around since 2000.
"They've been back at the table the last year or so, and it's been pretty hot and heavy the past four or five months," Van Petten said Monday of the would-be global lottery talks.
The volume ratcheted up sharply after The Times of London reported that Camelot, the company that runs the British lottery, had signed an "exploratory agreement" with Powerball aimed at launching "the world's biggest draw, with mega-jackpots of more than 250 million" British pounds — $367.4 million at current exchange rates.
The British newspaper said the game could start as early as 2011.
"There's lots of inaccuracies in it," said Strutt of that Feb. 1 story. He added that he would meet next week with Camelot officials and that a statement could be issued at that time.
Camelot in 2004 helped to launch EuroMillions, which is now played in Britain, France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Austria and Portugal.
Powerball's record $365 million jackpot was won in February 2006 by eight co-workers at a plant in Lincoln, Neb.
Thanks to chasingadream for the tip.
this will be very interesting to see how it plays out. I definitly think I would be playing this game but I can't see the tickets costing only a dollar with the currency exchange.
Powerball is moving towards the future of gambling. What in the world is MegaMillions doing?!? I remember there were some talks between PB and MM about having a national lottery but after a few months it just kinda faded away. Kudos to PB
Pick 6 of 99 and Pick 2 of 100.... I'm ready for it!!! Mmmmwwwaaahahah.
Odds 1 in a 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ... bring it on!!!
There may have been "talks" but not by anyone with any influence.
The folks that run PB hate / strongly dislike some of the leaders of the MM consortium - and vice versa. The egos involved are enormous.
BTW - for many of the members, MM is a much stronger product than PB would be.
I think its kind of funny that ,i always dream of hitting pb or mm just to buy my own airplane so that i could fly to England to buy euromillion tickets and win that also.
Well....now that i've come back down to earth,i just wonder what the odds will be in winning game of that size...
I don't see such a game happening in this country. The U.S. and other countries have very different ideas about how to run lotteries. Some countries keep half of sales as their share for running the games and don't tax the winners where in the U.S. the states keeps half of sales for running the games and along with the Federal government tax the winners for 30% of his winnings. I can't see U.S. politicians allowing states to contribute to a jackpot where they might not be able to tax the winners.
Beside a 50 millions dollar jackpot would look more attractive in a country that advertised its actual value rather than its potential annuity value and didn't tax the winners.
I wonder what will happen to Megamillions if they join...Is this mean that half the states of the USA you will be able to play the global lottery and the other half you only play megamillions...
Another question, didn't a british pount was worth like 2 dollars or 1.9 dollars...?
I wonder what will happen when it climbs...: D
my question is will it generate enough money for all the countries involved...
I just hope is a combination game and not a permutation game because if it is a permutation game, it will kill us all...I rather a Pick6/300 + Pick1/150 than a Pick8/0-15...I've been doing the calculations and realize that if there is one moment where you need to start praying is now...YOu need to start praying they don't create a permutation lottery game for that particular game...
Forgive me for saying this, but knowing the FBI and other government officials they will try and make it a permutation game....
what it is sorry is that they don't even sell mini-supercomputers affordables by most people to at least create algorithms and track the game...
it will be computerized...It has to be...
Whatever size they create it it will continue to be a lottery and not a "LOTTO STOCK EXCHANGE", which would have been better...
As usual, mankind or a section of mankind with its ego come out short and fail to see a vision, thinking the sun revolves around the earth...
And want to know something, they think i am saying this out of revenge when i am saying it for their own good and for the goodness of Mankind...
How nice it will have been a Gigantic Continental Lotto Stock Exchange giving multiple people 1 million a year for life, or 3 million a year for life..
You can advanced if you have greed and fail to see a vision, lack of vision...And let me guess, all that money recaudada/gathered is going to education, when it is not worthed...Have you been paying attention to the latest details in education advancement...
Better will have been a "Gigantic Continental LOtto Stock Exchange", it will have put Europe en Grande [in the spotlight]....
I wanted to MegaMillions and Powerball to combined to create a National lottery IN THE USA. but once you start crossing continental lines is better a "Global Lotto Stock Exchange"....And all this damage is been created by 1 or 2 companies...
I hope they don't combine Powerball with any lottery.They'd just end up changing the matrix again..and not for the good.Hell,its damn near impossible to win as it is now.
I agree with MaddMike51 above.
But just in case PB linked up with a British lottery, wouldn't it be nice if somehow, British rules were applied all the way around, i.e. NO TAXES on the winnings.
"The folks that run PB hate / strongly dislike some of the leaders of the MM consortium - and vice versa. The egos involved are enormous. "
WOW! I did not realize this.......I always kinda figured them to be like Coke and Pepsi. Yeah one might not like the other but without competition where would the other stand.......very interesting
It won't work in the U.S., for reasons already given and remember, the U.S. restricts playing on-line which is another DUMB idea. Hey the U.S. already screwed up the world economy, it's better it stayed out of it anyway until it can get it's financial house in order.
Very exciting. World wide game. Since each countries have their own rules, the US will continue to Tax the winners from the states, "You live under our rooft you go by our rules" mentality. We'll see how all this will work out.
Now you are dreaming.The United States isn't going to walk away from tax dollars....to many politicians on the take for that to happen.