Anne Kramer 
Man buying a Powerball ticket (AP Photo)WBAL Radio has learned that Powerball tickets will soon be sold in Maryland.
Lottery Director Buddy Roogow expects the sales to begin in the next four or five months. The decision is a result of lots of negotiations between officials in the states that operate Mega Millions and Powerball over the last seveal months.
The Boston Herald reported over the weekend that Powerball tickets were being allowed in Massachusetts.
Roogow says an official announcement is likely to come in the next few days. He says sales of Powerball tickets in Maryland should bring in $25 million in additional revenue each year to the state. And he expects sales to total $50 million in a full year.
WBAL's Anne Kramer asked Roogow if the states have agreed to sell each other's big game tickets does that mean the games would be combined into one in the future? Roogow says that is now in discussion but he expects any movement to create a national game to be years away. He says it would take a large amount of software and a big agreement from the states.
Roogow says 34 states now take part in the Powerball game and 12 states play Mega Millions.
"To me it's like going into a store and having your choice of different brands of bread or different brands of milk. Now they will have a choice of different brands of super jackpot games," says Roogow.
He says market research shows that most adults that live in states where big jackpot games are offered end up buying a ticket, so having Powerball and Mega Millions sales in Maryland are expected to drive in more customers.
Roogow says they will need to work out the logistics of selling the Powerball tickets in Maryland in the next few months by working with the lottery vendor.
No comments:
Post a Comment