Paul, here's my Top 5 lottery games.
5. Powerball (with PowerPlay)
Sometimes I think that not playing the PowerPlay would be a sucker bet. The prize will at least double so it will have the same effect as buying $2 of the same combo. But when you think about it, when the multiplier hits 5, that increases the lower payouts to a 125% payout (CO, don't reference NY Lotto, please, I don't want to hear it). And just think, when the new matrix starts, Chuck Strutt said that there might be an occasional 10x multiplier. That would make a 250% payout if that hits, and a chance at $2,000,000 without even hitting the jackpot.
4. PA Cash 5
What makes Pennsylvanians (and defected Floridians) go hog wild for this game? Every time it hits $200,000, the tickets go flying, and only a strange combo, or a Sunday draw, will get a rollover. So with this jackpot trend, why did this make my top ten. Simple, it's fun to play. The pari-mutuel payouts make the game all the more exciting (for 3/5, $8 or $13, it's anyone's guess).
3. WV Cash 25
OK, how fun is this game? It plays like a Lotto, but the odds are like a pick-5. And with just 25 numbers, it's easy to cover a lot of numbers. The utopic feeling from playing this game is indescribable. If only it had a jackpot...
2. IL Lotto
2 plays for a buck, jackpots that roll and roll, $3 for 3 numbers. Is there anything bad about IL Lotto? No. Not on your life. This game is just about perfect.
and the number one game on my list...
1. I'm dying, and now Geraldo's here, no, wrong list.
Let's try that again.
1. The ENTIRE Florida Lottery
Even without Powerball, this lottery is hard to beat. Fantasy 5 rolls down, Lotto rolls over, and Mega Money, well, does both. And Scratch-Offs, whew, not a single ticket has odds worse than or exactly 1 in 4. Try getting New York to do that (shhhhh, even before you start. That was a preemptive shhh.) And the best part, 60% payouts and the end of Jebby's term is almost here! It's only going to get better.