USA Mega adds lottery game start dates

Comment #24

CASH Only — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 22:33:25 GMT

chuck:What do you think of Lotto Silver? Maybe HL should be modified with this new style of play.

Comment #23

CASH Only — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:30:52 GMT

chuck:I went the most direct route west (287, 80, 76, 71, 270, 70, 44, 40, 15.) I took a more southerly route going back east of St Louis.

Comment #22

chuck32 — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:28:11 GMT

Cash:What? I thought that I was supposed to be anonymous. HL would be a good match for OK, but I don't know if the director will go that way. Wild Card might be a good match too. Sounds like you took the long way 'round to get to CA <G>.

Comment #21

CASH Only — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:23:24 GMT

chuck:You probably know that I used to e-mail you about Hot Lotto (I'm hoping Oklahoma will join.)I drove to California in October and played PB in IN, NM, and WV (the latter was the $340m draw.) I also played Hot Lotto. In addition I won $6 on MM in TX via the Megaplier.

Comment #20

chuck32 — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:19:24 GMT

Cash:Ha! You are a tough one. Yes, the IRS allows up to 60 days after the time that a claim is made. A lottery may reduce that time or may start the clock at some earlier arbitrary time. Now, I think that I've covered everything. I'd have to check on the MO rule. I didn't think it was different, but it is hard to keep up.

Comment #19

CASH Only — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:15:32 GMT

chuck:And the 60-day rule is interpreted differently-MO, which recently had a Powerball winner who AFAIK has not come forward yet, starts the clock with the drawing. All other MUSL members to my knowledge allow the choice to be made up to 60 days after the CLAIM.

Comment #18

chuck32 — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 01:09:40 GMT

Cash:I did not mean to imply that every lottery let's winners make the choice after they win. The IRS only allows it and allows up the lottery to give a winner up to 60 days to make the choice. There are lottery games and lotteries that offer less than the IRS will allow - that is the lottery's option.Annuity games exits; choices that must be made in less than 60 days exist; and being able to only make one change exists.Whew! I think that I've got everything covered now. <G... [ More ]

Comment #17

CASH Only — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 00:36:26 GMT

chuck:NY and TX still require the cash/annuity choice to be made when you PLAY. Annuity-only online games still exist: MA Megabucks, OR Win for Life, and PA Lucky for Life.

Comment #16

chuck32 — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 00:29:47 GMT

I'm not aware of that (a single winner being able to chose partial cash and annuity payment) happening with any U.S. lottery game. It would seem to be contrary to the IRS regs. It has only been several years that the IRS has allowed a winner the ability to make a choice AFTER they win. The government's goal was to raise some cash. They offered the ability to lotteries only if the lottery would also allow past winners (up until some date certain) to cash out their old annuity prizes - and pay... [ More ]

Comment #15

CASH Only — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 23:09:38 GMT

I remember one winner (MO?) being able to take half the prize in cash and the other through an annuity, and they had only one ticket IIRC.

Comment #14

chuck32 — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 04:49:09 GMT

And the cash option was only available after negotiations with the Treasury Department to waive the application of the Constructive Reciept rule. Ideally, lotteries could allow a winner to set up their own annuity option but, for the moment, a lottery can only offer the two extremes - cash or long-term annuity.

Comment #13

chuck32 — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 04:45:07 GMT

I'll have to agree with Todd on this one. We considered PB as the next version of L*A. PB was a unique game design though. We should have patented it - too late now.As for not putting up the historical stuff, we didn't figure that anyone cared. When we get asked, we provide the info and then someone starts a web site <sigh>.

Comment #12

Todd — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:47:15 GMT

I didn't say you were slamming the game. I said you were slamming me.You said: Powerball was not a new name for Lotto*America. Excuse me, but yes it is. You're basically saying that the entire concept of going back and showing the history of when each state joined Lotto America, the previous version of Powerball, is flawed because they are not related. I have no idea why you would say such a thing, but you did.

Comment #11

CASH Only — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:34:52 GMT

todd:Who said I was slamming Powerball/Lotto America? Come to think of it, L*A was annuity-only, and PB didn't start its cash option until 1997...

Comment #10

Todd — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:33:16 GMT

Claiming that Lotto America was not the previous version of Powerball is the same as saying that The Big Game was not the previous version of Mega Millions. Instead of attempting to invalidate something which I obviously spent a long time researching, how about asking a question or two instead of slamming it

Comment #9

Todd — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:30:49 GMT

BTW, the original white balls used when the game changed to Powerball were the original set from the game when it was called Lotto America. In fact, they were used for four years of Powerball drawings before being replaced.

Comment #8

CASH Only — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:28:45 GMT

todd:OK. I thought I had a good memory when it came to the history of US lotteries.

Comment #7

Todd — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:26:44 GMT

Cash Only,What can I say? That's just wrong. The game was CHANGED to Powerball. You may perceive it as a different game, but the lottery who created it does not. They consider it a new version of the game, and so do I.Many times I think you take a negative view on things just to try to stir something up, as if I'm posting wrong information or something. Give me a break

Comment #6

CASH Only — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 20:30:27 GMT

Powerball was not a new name for Lotto*America. L*A was originally a 7/40 and evolved into a 6/54. The new name came about with the two-drum format.

Comment #5

Chewie — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 16:01:26 GMT

Imitation is the greatest ... Besides, without leadership, where would the sheep go.

Comment #4

Todd — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 14:54:46 GMT

This feature is a good example of creating something specifically because someone asked for it.About three or four weeks ago I received an e-mail from someone who had two suggestions, and this was one of them (I also implemented the other one). I thought it was a good idea, not just because the information was not available on USA Mega, but also because it doesn't exist anywhere else on the Internet.I looked at every single state lottery site, as well as the official Powerball and Mega Millio... [ More ]

Comment #3

Chewie — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 12:40:39 GMT

DUH

Comment #2

Todd — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 12:39:17 GMT

The sixth paragraph of the story states:The historical features are offered on the Where To Play pages of both Mega Millions and Powerball at www.usamega.com.Then, the links at the bottom ofthe story provide direct access to both pages.

Comment #1

Chewie — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 12:26:15 GMT

Every time you add something new, I have to ask the same question: Where is the information

USA Mega adds lottery game start dates

Lottery Post — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 00:30:13 GMT

An Internet web site offering information about the United States' largest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball, today introduced a new feature for players seeking start dates for both games.USA Mega (www.usamega.com) added the dates that Mega Millions and Powerball tickets went on sale in each state offering either game. In addition, historical information is provided for prior versions of each game.Both games began under different names and offered different drawing and priz... [ More ]