Hot Lotto is struggling. So will Mega Millions after October 22.

Reply #23

maringoman — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 20:59:46 GMT

Its nice that the winning ticket was bought in TN - the newest state to join Hot Lotto. If you're still playing this game dcf then goodluck to you

Reply #22

dallascowboyfan — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Hot Lotto was hit on October 12, 2013, worth $1.97 million, in Tennessee

Congratulation Tennessee on your first Hot Lotto win

Reply #21

maringoman — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 21:40:34 GMT

If I lived in a state that didn't offer a games smaller than MM PB but larger than Pick 3 4 then I would probably still play Hot Lotto which I got in NH, a place I go often. But I am inundated with much better games. We have a 5/35, 5/43+1/43 and 6/49 games including MM PB and Pick 3 4.

Reply #20

ThatScaryChick — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 17:38:51 GMT

I don't like the matrix change (and have cut my playing of the game way down) and I don't like the fact that it only goes up only by $50,000, but I usually play a line or two each drawing.

Right now it's 1.8 million and that isn't a MM or PB jackpot levels, but it's tax free so I figure one or two tickets is worth it.

Reply #19

Saylorgirl — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 15:38:38 GMT

You are right in the fact that once it gets to record highs people will play. The problem will be how long will it take to get to those highs. We just had 18 - 19 rolls and it didn't even hit 200,000,000. With the new matrix people will not be playing as much as it begins its climb so it could take forever before there is any interest. I know I will cut back on my playing until it is over 200 million.

The current powerball comes out of the gate strong at 40 million and rolls up much quicker o... [ More ]

Reply #18

maringoman — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:19:14 GMT

I agree. It's getting crazy.

Reply #17

Think — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 01:33:50 GMT

It is all divide and conquer. There are so many games that nobody wins anything on any of them. Michigan has numerous bad games such as poker lotto(coming), club keno, pull tabs, almost all the scratchers, daily keno, Halloween Raffle and the tired old classic 47. With so many stupider ways to squander money the jackpots just don't get up there anymore and fewer and fewer people win them.

Look at that 50 or so million jackpot in Ohio...I believe that has been rolling for over 2 years to ge... [ More ]

Reply #16

maringoman — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:27:33 GMT

I hope you are right for the sake of the decision makers at MM. But I am pretty sure they're looking at Hot Lotto struggles and wondering if they're about to commit the mistake of their lives. Four months from now I shall be doing a MM comparison of before and after the matrix changes. We'll see.

Reply #15

Nikkicute — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 05:37:43 GMT

Do you think MM will struggle like Hot Lotto after the matrix changes?

Nope!!! Not enough left Powerball after the price change, MegaMillions is still a $1 !!

Once that jackpot get to record highs, no one is going to care about a matrix, all they will

be thinking about is winning.

Reply #14

rdgrnr — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 02:57:17 GMT

OK, but only in Aruba.

Reply #13

SergeM — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 01:23:20 GMT

How about a pick 6 out of 100 with 2 bonus balls of 50

Reply #12

maringoman — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 01:21:19 GMT

Like I told msharkey2001 people might change their mind on Hot Lotto once the MM matrix changes on Oct 22.

Good luck in Hot Lotto HoLeeKau

Reply #11

maringoman — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 01:04:20 GMT

Yes msharkey2001 I remember when the news for the matrix change first surfaced earlier this year majority of LP members commenting dissaproved it. I used to get my Hot Lotto tickets in NH with a 20 game advanced play but since April I decided to stop. Maybe Hot Lotto will gain players who abandon MM once the matrix changes. We'll see.

Reply #10

maringoman — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:53:42 GMT

Yeah. It didn't make much sense for me to keep playing. I knew it was an RNG game and still liked it. I liked it because it felt like a 6/49 game that had jackpots growing faster after a certain level of jp. Now I don't like it.

Reply #9

HoLeeKau — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:44:33 GMT

That's an all-cash JP, and withholding taxes are paid. So 25% of the federal taxes are paid, but I don't know if state tax is considered a withholding tax.

When they changed the matrix, they said it was an attempt to get more states on board with selling the game. I'm not sure how that's coming along, but that's what it's gonna take to get the JP to grow faster.

I still play Hot Lotto because it's still $1, and the JP is enough to change my life.

Reply #8

msharkey2001 — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:43:38 GMT

Your analysis is right on maringoman. Tri State Megabucks Plus just to your north increases by 50K per draw and that's just Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Hot Lotto with 5 times the number of states participating can't do better than that? Seems like the Hot Lotto has tanked miserably. I used to play that game on a regular basis but no longer.

I also agree that the new MegaMillions matrix will end up tanking sales for them as well.

Reply #7

Jon D — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:37:58 GMT

Yeah, the population is high, but is anyone playing? What's the playing population?

I don't know what the sales were before the matrix change, but I don't get the thinking behind the change: go from 11M to 29M odds and hope for more play, when PB and MM are options? Didn't seem like a smart move.

I don't see a way forward for Hot Lotto. It's a bit different for MM situation, they're trying to compete with PB as top dog, but in a different way.

Reply #6

maringoman — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:29:14 GMT

Hot Lotto is played in District of Columbia, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, or West Virginia. I would say that these 15 states and Washington DC provide a sizable population. If indeed there is a drop in sales after the change in matrix as I am suggesting in this thread, then I can only attribute it to player dissatisfaction

Reply #5

NYLOTTERY — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:09:23 GMT

We dont have Hot Lotto in NY, so I really dont know what the issue is. But there was a change to Powerball and since then ticket prices have skyrocketed. Before the change we only saw one $400 Million jackpot (Mega Millions). Now its more frequent. The new Mega Millions change will have higher jackpots, but it might be months before the jackpot reaches $300 Million. Just look at how long it took to reach $189 Million now 18 draws ago or July 30, 2013 last time Mega was hit. There are 6 more draw... [ More ]

Reply #4

Jon D — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:03:05 GMT

Bottom line: I think any lotto game has to be sized properly for the playing population.

I don't know the sales numbers on Hot lotto, but looking at those results, I'd guess the annual sales is less than the odds on the top prize of 29M? That's not sized properly.

A 5/39 game or 6/49 game would not be sized properly for a national game.(too small) And also, if MM and PB have taken the sales away from the local state lotto, a 6/49 game may no longer be sized properly for the state.(too big... [ More ]

Reply #3

noise-gate — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:01:59 GMT

Yeah that's going backwards, its no wonder you others abandoned the game. Perhaps you right, this could be a pattern of things to come..

Reply #2

maringoman — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 23:57:14 GMT

noise-gate notice the way the jp stopped rising by more than $50,000 after the matrix change of May 12, 2013 despite the fact that the jp is well over $6,000,000. What could be the cause for that

Reply #1

noise-gate — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 23:52:41 GMT

Greetings Maringoman: My question is How high can or has this Hot Lotto risen, is there a cap since it seems it jumps by 50 grand , nothing more?

We have Fantasy 5 out here on the West Coast and that puppy has risen to $400, 000 at times when not won, and that's a daily drawing.

Super Lotto Plus has been known to go over $100 million but its been awhile since its seen that number, in fact with the introduction of PB to the State, there were some who thought the lottery commission would sto... [ More ]

Hot Lotto is struggling. So will Mega Millions after October 22.

maringoman — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 23:35:21 GMT

It seems many people abandoned HotLotto after the matrix changes of May 12, 2013. The jackpot was rising by more than $100,000 anytime the jp was over $1.3M but notice what happened after May 11 when many players, myself included, abandoned the game.

The last drawing of May 11, 2013 before the matrix change had a jackpot of $6.11M from the previous jp and had risen by $230,000. Nobody hit the May 11 jp and so it rose, but just barely. It rose by a mere $50,000 despite the fact that the jp wa... [ More ]