Todd
Glad you have such a high opinion of Texas Lottery. Pardon me if I have a different opinion.
I think the powers in control are still looking for a permanent Texas lottery director.
For all her faults, and she apparently has many in your opinion, Dawn Nettles does provide a service. Except for her interest, there are a lot of things about the Texas lottery that we players wouldn't otherwise be aware of. As a retired newspaper reporter, I can tell you that the gathering of lottery news is very, very low on the totum pole in Texas.
My reasons for buying lottery products are my own. Like everyone else, you included, I have various schemes that I apply when playing a game. It's a waste of time, but, I have won a few dollars here and there. I certainly don't blame Nettles, Lottery Post, or any other person or group for not winning as often as I would like.
I've heard Nettles can be 'a bitch' and maybe isn't as smart as she thinks, but she does enjoy a lot of respect and lottery managers do fear her, to some extent. She has sources inside the lottery and I believe a lot of what she reports is based on fact. But then, she is probably being used by some to further their objectives, whatever they may be.
My opinions are my own. I'm not influenced by Nettles or anyone else. I think that PB would have been a better fit, but, I didn't get a chance to vote on it.
As for Pick 6/54, it might survive and become a money maker, but, again, in my opinion, I think Pick 6/50 would have been a better choice. Face it, any main lottery game needs more than 2 million regular players to survive.
Maybe that was the plan to begin with. A low turn out and the odds means the jackpot is not likely to be won. Advancing at $1 million per drawing may one day produce a large enough jackpot to get more players interested. Or not.
There are many forms of humor. Frankly, I find all the machinations lottery folks use to get my money to be hilarious.