Lotto Texas - World's Worst Jackpot Game?

Reply #31

CASH Only — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:57:46 GMT

bobby:6/49 may be the default matrix (Canada has a national $2 per play 6/49), but it would be too small for TX, like it is for Lotto South.

Reply #30

bobby623 — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 15:53:42 GMT

I think 6/49 would be best matrix for Lotto Texas.While millions of Texans buy Lotto tickets, a large of percentage of the state's residents are opposed to gambling.Texas population is roughly 23 million. One would expect that a third would be in the game every Wednesday and Saturday. But, a review of the sales, posted at lottoreport.com, shows the average is about 1.5 to 2 million. This number increases when the jackpots grow, such as the recent Mega Millions jackpot, but falls drastically when... [ More ]

Reply #29

CASH Only — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 13:56:15 GMT

6/50 is too small for Texas. A return to 6/54 would be more appropriate.

Reply #28

JimmySand9 — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 22:08:44 GMT

How about this.Matrix : 6/50Min. Jackpot : $1,000,000 Annuity Avg. Prize % Of Pool Odds Match 6 JACKPOT 44% 1 : 15,890,700 Match 5 $2,500 8% 1 : 60,192 Match 4 $90 16% 1 : 1,200 Match 3 $10 32% 1 : 60 Portion of sales put towards prizes : 52.5%Overall Odds : 1 in 56.888A lot of money is put towards smaller prizes, but the jackpot still gets the biggest chunk. This would help carve a better niche between Texas Two-Step and Mega Millions.

Reply #27

JimmySand9 — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:49:21 GMT

I realize that, painfully. But a lot of that has to do with the fact they are targeting the same people that play MM and PB. And it's not just pick-6 games, but all jackpot-driven games, like Lotto Texas. Here's an idea, lower the matrix (but not by too much), and put more of the prize pool towards lower-tier prizes. That will help carve a better niche between pick-5 games and the multi-state games.

Reply #26

ryanm — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:19:40 GMT

I hope Hot Lotto goes next

Reply #25

CASH Only — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 19:59:31 GMT

Classic lotto games all over the US are losing popularity. Even Lotto South may be breaking up next year.

Reply #24

bobby623 — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 16:31:53 GMT

The Lotto Jackpot has been hit twice recently, paying $4 million. Hard to believe that the game was so difficult to win for such a long time and then, wham, 2 jackpot hits in a row.The Texas jackpot game was introduced in order to increase profits. The TLC estimated that 5 to 10 million tickets would be sold every draw. Unfortunately, only the poor and the stupid played a game they were not likely to win.Without admitting defeat, the TLC started looking around. They got a powerful state official... [ More ]

Reply #23

CASH Only — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 15:28:38 GMT

For those who live in Texas, be glad you have what you have. NY pays out only 38%-40% in its game.

Reply #22

TonyB — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 04:07:39 GMT

Well, don't expect a big payout if you win Lotto Texas. Someone won the $6 million jackpot tonight. So it's back to $4 million for the rest of the month.

Reply #21

CASH Only — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:48:09 GMT

tony:I plan to play Lotto Texas (and MM with Megaplier) next month when I drive through on I-40 on my way to California.If you think Lotto TX (which has a 52% payback) is bad, be glad you don't live here, where our 6/59 game has a return of only 40

Reply #20

TonyB — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 04:30:00 GMT

Well, it did roll to $5 million.What gets me is that I bought a ten drawing ticket 4 weeks ago when it was $39 million and I've matched 3+0 and 2+1 since then. Apparently the key to winning is to buy a ticket and then come on here and bitch about how bad the game is.I also hit the bonus ball in Mega Millions last night and have matched 2 of 5 in Cash 5 three times since the first of the month.Six wins in the past three weeks for a total of $18. Oh, why did I have to add it up? I was feeling good... [ More ]

Reply #19

LANTERN — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 18:20:21 GMT

Maybe they should just drop the LottoTexas game and instead give us a pick 4 game either once or twice a day 6 days a week.Otherwise, they can instead give us a keno game.It is obvious that TLC doesn't now how to manage lottery games.

Reply #18

TonyB — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 07:06:05 GMT

Give Lotto Texas 11 rolls and it may get up to $7 million

Reply #17

Bradly_60 — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 17:37:35 GMT

Lotteries only change games when people don't like them anymore. How do you tell that....sales. If sales are starting to slump they know they have to change it. The Tx lottery wouldn't be any different. No matter how anyone feels there is a bottom line. Larger jackpots = larger sales. That is what the lottery is in for. The more sales the more money they make. Players don't want samller prizes spread out over more people. They want large jackpots. If you disagree with that then you nee... [ More ]

Reply #16

orangeman — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 16:45:42 GMT

Drivedabizness:Explain how you drove business for the Texas Lottery Commission. You obviously failed. If I was that close to a such a failing enterprise I wouldn't admit it. You drove da bizness off a cliff. What flavor of Kool Aid have you been drinking lately?Orangeman

Reply #15

LANTERN — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 16:36:06 GMT

I would change the game to a 6/49 game then lower the jackpot from $ 250, 000 to $ 500 000 to start with, then if somebody won on every draw or every other draw I would then start to play the game.It is much better for very many more people to win much smaller ammounts of money than for a very very very few people to win big ammounts of money.We don't have a chance of winning any money at all never as the game is now.I would rather win $ 250,000 or $ 500,000 than NO MONEY AT ALL.As things are n... [ More ]

Reply #14

Drivedabizness — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 15:14:39 GMT

Orangeman That cool-aid will kill you. Ever hear (even down there) the old saying a little knowledge is a dangerous thing ? Just because she keeps saying don't do this or do that - I've worked with her. She has no clue what she is talking about. Sales were already way down WHEN THE GAME WAS THE WAY SHE WANTED IT. What do you expect the Lottery to do - nothing? Where was she to rally all the players to come back to the game? Oh and by the way - I've helped generate many more additional... [ More ]

Reply #13

Just6ntlc — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:07:40 GMT

Now, I checked the Lotto Texas Jackpot. It's stuck at 4 million again for the third draw in a row. I'm disappointed about the Lotto Texas having a bonus ball. I think they should go to a 6/50 or 6/49, or screw them

Reply #12

orangeman — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:13:55 GMT

Drivedabizness:I'm glad you don't live in Texas. Stay in Californey and make everyone in Texas happy! Dawn told the TLC not to make the changes. They made them anyway. At least visit her website before you run her down. I'm with Lantern on this one. You don't know what you are talking about.Orangeman

Reply #11

Drivedabizness — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:48:58 GMT

Dawn Nettles is a certified idiot with absolutely no idea how lottery games work. Anyone who quotes her is either lazy or a certified idiot who knows nothing about the way lotetry games work. You folks in Texas take the cake. You stop playing your lotto game - so, the lottery changes it. Then you complain that they changed the game. They try to accommodate you - but you still don't play unless the jackpot gets really big.

Reply #10

CASH Only — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 16:38:57 GMT

ryan:Don't forget Hot Lotto, the multi-state mini-Powerball. IA used to have in-state jackpot games, including Lucky Day.

Reply #9

LANTERN — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 15:02:25 GMT

I won't play the Texas Lotto unless it is a 6/49 or 6/50 no bonus ball game.Let it roll to $4 000 000 forever and ever on every draw, I will never play it myself.I advice people to only play pick 3, cash5 and two step.But mostly cash 5 and pick 3, the bonus ball on the 2step screws that game.I refuse to play bonus ball games and also anything bigger than 6/49 or 6/50.If they make it a no bonus ball 6/54 I still will not play it at all never , but never.6/49, 6/50 or nothing for me.If you want th... [ More ]

Reply #8

ryanm — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 04:41:35 GMT

The TLC screwed themselves when they went to a Powerball-style game. My state, Iowa, does not have a rolling jackpot game because Iowa is too small for one, but my neighboring state, Illinois, still has their Lotto game with a starting jackpot of $2 million and minimum rollovers of $250,000 (drawings are still three nights a week too).

Reply #7

TonyB — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 04:01:39 GMT

No winner tonight. The jackpot rolls to....$4 million for Saturday.That makes 4 drawings at the mimimum with no winners.And if I'm reading the online jackpot estimation sheet correctly, they believe that they will still be underfunded by $310,386 for the Saturday drawing.

Reply #6

CASH Only — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 21:01:09 GMT

You can complain about your games all you want. I still say the worst US jackpot games are MA Mega$.uck$ (still annuity-only) and NY Lotto 59 (38%-40% prize return; 3/6 always $1). By contrast MA Ca$h WinFall probably is the best game.

Reply #5

Badger — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 18:18:29 GMT

Pretty much the same in WI. Our state 6/49 game is MEgabucks. But the odds at the jackpot are nearly 7 million to 1, and we only have about 5 million people in the entire state last I heard. So it takes forever for it to build. Add the fact that they only pay a first tier prize of$2 for 3 of 6, and $30 for 4 of 6, and it just isn't worth spending money on. There are too many other ways to spend your dough. The first and second tier prizes are chintzy for a game that has a minimum of $1M jackpo... [ More ]

Reply #4

RJOh — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 15:12:21 GMT

As player find other games with higher jackpots to play, States will have to reduce the minimum starting jackpots and minimum roll over amounts of their games because they will have fewer players. Ohio has been during that with their SuperLottoPlus games and next month they will eliminate the game all together replacing it with a game that has a starting jackpot of $1M.RJOh

Reply #3

orangeman — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 13:56:37 GMT

Todd, I beg to differ . . .Dawn Nettles is right. There are too many combinations for the population of the state. In other words, it is too hard to win and we refuse to throw our money away on a bad game. Not playing is the result. Texans are smarter than their leaders look.Orangeman

Reply #2

JimmySand9 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 05:42:09 GMT

Yep, that's just the way it works sometimes. You set a minimum jackpot high, but it takes a while for the actual money in the prize pool to exceed it. It happens in AZ and MA too.

Reply #1

Todd — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 12:21:50 GMT

What that means is that they didn't really have the funds for the minimum $4 million jackpot in the last drawing, but they had to make it $4 million anyway, because that's the set minimum. They were just embroiled in a big scandal about over-inflating jackpots, so they won't be doing that anymore. If they don't have the sales to justify a higher jackpot, then they won't do it.It's hard and fast sales numbers, has nothing to do with how good the game is.

Lotto Texas - World's Worst Jackpot Game?

TonyB — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 03:49:44 GMT

Someone hit the $44 million last Saturday. The Wednesday jackpot was the minimum $4 million. It rolled and was still $4 million on Saturday. I really wasn't surprised by that given recent events.But nobody won tonight and it rolled to $4 million again. I have never seen a jackpot game roll twice and still be stuck at the minimum.This is unreal.