Reflecting bad times, some lotteries hit losing streak

Comment #8

GamerMom — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:43:15 GMT

why would it matter? The official winning numbers are the winning numbers no matter how many times it is drawn.

It is interesting to note that florida POWERBALL sales were not noted to be down. I would venture a guess that people who used to be plunking down $$ on FLALA tix are now choosing PB instead. I went to FL on business today and bought PB tix instead of FLALA, which i would have done in December. If i'm going to waste gamble my $$$ i'm going to go for the highest stakes.... [ More ]

Comment #7

maringoman — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:58:21 GMT

jim695 I didn't mean to doubt you, it's just that it seems so absurd to do it so many times. They probably lie to us that the particular drawing they show is live; this makes me soo upset. Nowonder it rarely happens that jackpots are won back to back. When shall the man start playing fair

Comment #6

jim695 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:16:27 GMT

Maringoman:

Traditionally, I'm not that funny, so yes, I'm quite serious.

However, I do make mistakes on occasion, and I apologize for having posted inaccurate information. PowerBall actually performs four test draws prior to the official drawing, and ONE additional test draw AFTER the official drawing.

If you'd like to confirm this, go to PowerBall's homepage and click on the Winning Numbers link on the left-hand side of the page. Scroll to the bottom and find the box containi... [ More ]

Comment #5

maringoman — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:32:43 GMT

Jim695 When I learned that PowerBall now performs four test draws before the official drawing, and another four test draws after the official drawing,

are you serious

Comment #4

Halle99 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:53:34 GMT

Thats what I also thought while reading the article.....I have played since 2005 and I continue to play my one dollar and It has nothing to do with the economy....I am looking forward to the Mega jackpot tonite....

Comment #3

jim695 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:05:42 GMT

I haven't played ANY Hoosier Lottery games since 2003. I continued playing my preselected PowerBall numbers until shortly after the most recent change in the matrix. When I learned that PowerBall now performs four test draws before the official drawing, and another four test draws after the official drawing, I gave up on trying to predict the numbers, and stopped playing altogether. Prior to the expanded number pool, I could count on winning at least half of my money back, on average. I only pla... [ More ]

Comment #2

Todd — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:49:59 GMT

Good point

Comment #1

JAP69 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:00:27 GMT

Most all lotteries tell players to play responsibly and within their means. Looks like that is what most players are doing.

Reflecting bad times, some lotteries hit losing streak

Lottery Post — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:47:47 GMT

State lotteries are down on their luck as players cut back on games of chance.

From California, where sales for the past year are down 5%, to Florida, where sales slipped 7%, fewer people are gambling on scratch-off tickets and numbers games.

The economy probably has affected lottery sales the way it's affected all discretionary spending, says David Gale of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.

About half of Americans buy lottery tickets, according to a 2008... [ More ]