CLEVELAND, Ohio — A $50 instant lottery ticket may be in the future, say Ohio Lottery officials buoyed by the success of the agency's first $30 instant ticket.
"The next step in the lottery world is the $50 ticket," lottery director Dennis Berg told lottery commission members at a recent meeting. "We have talked about it here and there are conflicting opinions. Logically it is the next price point, but we do not know when it will happen."
Texas appears to be the only state with a $50 ticket, made available by the Texas Lottery in 2007. Each of its two current $50 instant ticket options offer three $7.5 million prizes. The next prize level is $10,000.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Ohio Lottery debuted the $30 scratch-off ticket in January — the most expensive and offering the largest instant prize in Ohio Lottery history. Five $10 million prizes ($400,000 annually for 25 years) 35 $1 million prizes ($40,000 annually for 25 years) will be awarded.
Sales of the $30 ticket from Jan. 12 through April 19 were $71.9 million, officials said, representing 17 percent of all instant ticket sales. Sales have grown each week. The ticket's success has helped the lottery's overall instant ticket sales, which account for more than half of sales.
Instant ticket sales had been declining for a variety of reasons, including the new racinos and casinos and consumers shopping at big-box stores that don't typically offer lottery games, officials said.
Instant ticket sales in March of $142.3 million were $15.9 million higher than March, 2013 and the highest ever recorded for that month in the lottery history, officials told commission members. It was all due to the $30 ticket.
The lottery currently sells $1, $2, $3, $5, $10 and $20 tickets. The $10 and $20 tickets have traditionally sold well, officials said.
Lottery officials also hope to boost sales with a new app that eliminates the need for players to fill out paper playslips. Beginning Monday, the e-playslip app is available for smartphones. Players choose numbers or have them picked automatically, save them and create a QR code. A retailer scans the code and prints out the ticket.
Only Idaho and Montana have similar apps, officials said.
That's outrageous!
Just like they build condos that sell for $1M, I think it's fine to have such tickets in the market. I just know they're not for me.
Twenty dollar tickets are bad enough. It would take longer to burn a $50 bill then scratch it away. I like the e-playslip app because i always have trouble with machines taking the paper ones .
If I could afford a $50 instant ticket, I probably wouldn't play the lottery
Am I reading this correct $50 to buy one scratch off ticket?
Guess the prize amounts must be more than a million to entice folks to spend that kind of $dough.
That's insane in my opinion but there must be a market for those kinds of players
That may work in Texas but amazed to read that it's being offered in Ohio.
Even the $30 ticket is too much to spend for an instant ticket. But that's just me.
Jon D
Marilyn222
You can say that again, That's outrageous.
I'm amazed at all the $20 and up tickets some states offer. We only have one game that's more than $10 in our lottery offerings. I don't know if even California will embrace $50 Scratchers. We only got our first $20 Scratchers about seven months ago.
Greed
Yep, and getting stingier with current games.
That is crazy and super stupid. Why go from 7.5 million and the 2nd tier prize is only 10 grand?? Ridiculous!! It couldnt be like at least 50k?? I'll tell ya if I paid $100 and I may only won my $100 back I'd never play it again, cause I would be condsidering I was lucky to get my money back the 1st time, I might not be so lucky the 2nd time
$50 sounds like a lot for an instant ticket.
Although the lottery is popularly tagged a "tax on the poor," a large proportion of players have a reasonably high salary. If those players want to spend $50 a pop, the lottery should have something to fill that demand...as ludicrous as it sounds. Just like the high-roller slots and high-roller tables at the casino ($500/hand Blackjack anyone?
).
Personally, I prefer tickets $20 and up, but that's because I see it from the odds perspective and not so much the entertainment of frequent-play. You probably can't imagine spending $100 and not winning it back, but if you buy 100 one dollar tickets and don't win it back, it's pretty much the same...you just get to suffer longer!
At least they listened in Ohio...
(174) 40th Anniversary Millions $30
PRIZES Remaining TPD STATUS
$400K/YR FOR 25 YRS 5
$40K/YR FOR 25 YRS 32
$ 50,000.00 91
$ 20,000.00 216
$ 5,000.00 1,292
$ 1,000.00 27,962
$ 500.00 86,200
$ 200.00 107,718
$ 100.00 859,666
$ 50.00 2,150,699
$ 40.00 1,612,774
$ 30.00 3,225,874
2nd tier is $50K. And this is a $30 ticket, too... You might think these are a lot of prizes left, but consider the print quantity...
24 million tickets.
24M * $30 = $720M Revenue (assuming they sold out)
It advertises an 80% payout on the ticket, so 720M * 80% = $576M in prizes...
It also has almost the same odds as Texas' $50 Casino Action: 1 in 2.66 for OH vs. 1 in 2.47 for TX.
To me, the $30 ticket would be the better bargain. But if they did come out with a $50 ticket, I'd probably give it a try. Knowing Ohio, the top prize would prob be $25M, 2nd would be $5M, 3rd would be $100K... I'd play for a shot at something like that...
I'd rather play MM/PB JP's than spending $30.00 or $50.00 for one scratch ticket.
Now this prize tier is pretty good the 2nd tier prize is 40k for 25 years. I'd be playing to hopefully hit that in the very least. Also I believe the total payout of the grand prize equals more than the $50 ticket's grand prize
Yep, just more greed of the lottery industry.
This is what gets me:
Instant ticket sales had been declining for a variety of reasons, including the new racinos and casinos and consumers shopping at big-box stores that don't typically offer lottery games, officials said.
Well now, we can't have that! How dare the private casinos and other businesses compete and take away sales from our government run monopoly lottery gambling operation! We need to step it up and bring out a $50 ticket to stop that!
I'm for limited government, and against the unlimited, unchecked expansion of government.
In the same way, I think the lottery has a reason to exist, but it should be limited and they should not be trying to increase revenue and market share year after year as if they were a private company. They're not. They succeed because they have laws against competition and other forms of gambling, so that for many people, the state lottery is literally the only game in town.
If those players want to spend $50 a pop, the lottery should have something to fill that demand
No, the lottery should get out of the way and let private business cater to high rollers.
Spoken like a true shill for the lottery industry that you are LottoMetro.
Texas has a $50 scratcher too.
So in other words, you would rather the greedy casinos get it? Spoken like a true shill for the casino industry.
At least with the lottery, a larger proportion goes towards good causes:
Only about 11% of gross casino revenue in Ohio goes towards education.
Compare that to about 29% of gross lottery revenue going towards education.
Yeah LottoMetro, I'm for less taxes on business and free market competition.
So I see your true liberal colors come out now, eh, LottoMetro. More taxes are always good taxes, as long as it's for a good cause?
I'd rather a business be taxed less, on profits, rather than a very heavy what amounts to a 30% up front sales tax on revenue, embedded into the cost of the product with low payouts to players.
Hey LottoMetro,
You went silent and disappeared on the last question I asked you back in the other thread:
https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/274352/3570012
You can answer there, or answer here, I'll pose it again: (answering there would be better)
How is it that you can play the lottery when you are a lottery industry insider? Isn't that unethical? I thought that was not allowed in most places, for people with inside access to information, people and systems to play the lottery?
More taxes are always good taxes, as long as it's for a good cause?
This is irrelevant. We're talking about players. That has little effect on the player's wager. $50 is $50 whether it's played on the lottery or at the casino.
If casinos were taxed on profits, there would be no tax revenue because there would be no "profits." A little creative bookkeeping can go a long way. Being taxed on gross revenues is actually more beneficial for both sides.
From Ask.com:
Does Lottery Money Really Go to Education?
Answer
Yeah brainiac, players choose games based on the payouts. Duh! A regular casino would offer $900 prize for a pick 3 straight. But the lottery, because of it's built-in tax on revenues embedded into the cost of the game and needing to shave off another 30-40% from the prize, only pays $500, or $600 in some states. So yeah, a player will choose where to spend his $50 wager depending government's rake on the business. $50 ain't the same $50 worth of gaming/action depending on the payouts.
You know, it's dumb statements like this, along with your repeated lies, misrepresentations and unethical activity that makes one question your storied credentials.
For those of you just tuning in, LottoMetro is no lottery player.
In past postings, LottoMetro has revealed that he is a mathematician, a business/economics grad, with millionaire and billionaire friends, is a published author, featured on national TV, works in the TV and film industry...and works in the lottery industry.
Yet he hangs around here all the time trying to build his LottoMetro brand, making a nuisance of himself in an unprofessional and unethical display of vanity and insecurity. I don't understand it.
P.S. You still ducked the previous question I see.
Yeah brainiac, players choose games based on the payouts.
First you say players only choose games for the "action," oh now SUDDENLY they care about payouts (something I have said all along)? Must be confused again, poor fellow. You contradict yourself a lot, perhaps you should pay attention to your own mouth instead of others' mouths.
Regurgitating your critiques of me doesn't faze me whatsoever; in fact, I find it highly amusing.
I don't disagree with those who find that lottery revenue is not as effective for education as advertised; technically, that could apply to any given claim or revenue program (I would even go as far as including charities in that). However, in this case, you can actually find online/request documents from Ohio which shows direct transfers from the education fund to specific schools. Now whether they use those funds to hire more teachers or pay for Timmy's lunch, that's their business. But I think most people would rather the gambler's money go there than the pockets of Mr. Wynn.
First you say players only choose games for the "action," oh now SUDDENLY they care about payouts (something I have said all along)? Must be confused again, poor fellow. You contradict yourself a lot, perhaps you should pay attention to your own mouth instead of others' mouths.
Oh LottoMetro, why am I not surprised.
Because this is classic LottoMetro, that's why. When he's losing an argument, he turns to lies and misrepresentations.
Anyone can read the thread which he's referring to, where I stated that a casino's "product" is the action.(which includes the prizes offered) Then you can understand the depth of his depravity:
https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/274704/3571749
He does this tactic of lies and misrepresentations to many other LP members too, most recently:
https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/273839/3575956
P.S. Hey LottoMetro, I noticed that the vanity domain name that you admitted creating for yourself in a previous post:
http://lottometro.com/
is now redirected to Princeton Math Department. Is that your alma mater? What do your fellows think of your brilliant postings here.
Will be interesting, to see the look, on the face of the individual, who just scratched a losing $50.00 ticket. Absolute madness!.
For $50, they could afford to throw every sucker who buys one a $1-$5 prize and still make money. In fact they should make sure every ticket is a winner even if it's only a dollar. After all, MM is willing to chance paying a dollar to every player who spend $15 on MM tickets and they're offering a bigger prize.
I've seen people suggest that before, having the high priced ticket have a minimum guaranteed win. But if the $50 ticket had a minimum guaranteed $5 win, why not just make it a $45 ticket and forego the superfluous $5 transaction? (I realize $45 is not a nice round number...)
And high roller scratch players already have a way to guarantee a win: they buy an entire pack. Just look at the scratch forums and see people buying entire packs of $10,$20,$30 or higher tickets. At 30-100 tickets per pack depending, that's dropping anywhere from $500-$1000 to buy a pack.(smaller denom tickets are only couple hundo for a pack) But due to the way scratch tickets are not *random* and have a fixed minimum number of wins per pack, that means they are guaranteed to get back around 1/3 of their money spent as the minimum pack value. That's still good chance of losing a few hundred a pop, so it's not for those with small wallets or weak constitutions.
it's not for those with small wallets or weak constitutions.
Lol...
RJOh,
Who do you think MM makes more off of, a $1 player or a $15 player?
Any one willing to put up $15 to guarantee a $1 'win' is considered a perfect player for the house.
Since the over all odds of winning something are 1:15, it shouldn't make any difference whether a player spend $15 one time or $1 fifteen times.
If both players play the same number of tickets over the long run, there really isn't a difference to the lottery because the house edge stays the same.
For the player, though, there is a slight difference in the probability that they win.
$1 played 15 times = 65.24% probability of winning at least once
$15 played 1 time = 100% probability of winning at least once
This is the reason why some lotteries force quick picks on some games. The "decay" from repeated independent trials decreases their variance.
The player who only spends $1 per draw may actually have to spend more to get a win. On the other hand, they will play more draws (few people can spend $15/draw), which makes them more marketable in the lottery's eyes.
I only play a $50 ticket if the odds were 1 in 2. with a min prize of $100!
Actually the good thing about this article is no more payslips..you can use your phone..great for those who play like 40 numbers a draw! plus I may actually be able to play pairs on pick 3 now..All the clerks do not know how to enter pairs for pick , and Ohio lottery will not make a slip with a pairs option.
And they say us players are greddy
The states have a good thing going with the lottery, yet they have to push for more and more. There is no way in hell I would spend $50 on a scartch off.
Lottery commissions are under pressure to show an increase in profit every year like there's no limit to the amounts players will spend if they have a chance.
"All the clerks do not know how to enter pairs for pick......"
What make you think if clerks weren't trained to enter pairs for picks they will be trained to print tickets from your phone?
Why would Ohio offer a $50.00 instant ticket when they can barely get people in their own State to invest their hard earned money on the Ohio Classic?
Which, by the way, went another night without JP win. Now at $68.6 mil. for Wed.
No JP winner: two years, 4 months, whatever and counting...
The Ohio Lottery Officials are probably saying " We do it because we can"..
Well..
Actually, think it's now at the two-year, seven-month mark. Just absurd.
I've been throwing five bucks a draw---$15 a week---at this thing for well over a year now. Nobody can blame me for lack of ticket sales, hahaha...
$50 are you kidding???? How high will they make these prices? How long before we see one for $100 and higher? I'm sorry I just feel that price is excessive. For one dang ticket?
Texas now has three $50 scratch offs. Millionaires Club came out yesterday.