{"id":161738,"date":"2021-01-18T22:22:23","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T06:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=161738"},"modified":"2021-01-19T09:18:02","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T17:18:02","slug":"more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than COVID Keeping Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots From Getting Bigger"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, Powerball holds its 36th drawing since the multi-state lottery produced a jackpot winner. That four-month span, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association that operates the game, represents its longest dry spell ever.<\/p>\n

\"Powerball
A car passes a Kentucky Lottery billboard on Interstate 65 in Louisville Monday evening promoting the jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball. Both lottery games have jackpots that rank among the highest in their histories. But growing these pools has taken more time than other large jackpots. (Image: Casino.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet, while Wednesday\u2019s estimated $730 million jackpot is still massive \u2013 it\u2019s the fourth-largest in the game\u2019s history \u2013 it\u2019s taken some time to build. The same holds true with the other multi-state lottery game, Mega Millions. It, too, has not gone out since mid-September. But the Tuesday jackpot is worth $850 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

For comparison purposes, the largest jackpots both games have awarded each surpassed $1.5 billion. However, Powerball\u2019s nearly $1.59 billion took just 10 weeks to build, while Mega Millions needed only three months for its $1.54 billion grand prize.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Both games use ticket sales projections to estimate jackpot values in advance. With the odds of winning massive – 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball, 1 in 302.6 million for Mega Millions – lower ticket sales also means it increases the chances the winning combination won’t get picked.<\/p>\n

As you may expect, COVID-19 has had an impact on those sales. However, industry analysts and officials tell Casino.org<\/em> there are other reasons for the slow build.<\/p>\n

Simultaneous Big Jackpots an Issue<\/h2>\n

This is not the first time both lotteries have had large jackpots. Mega Millions gave out its record jackpot $1.54 billion prize on Oct. 23, 2018. Just four days later, two Powerball<\/a> players split a $687.8 million prize, then the third-largest in that game\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

And earlier that year, a $451 million Mega Millions prize went out on Jan. 5. At that time, it was the game\u2019s fourth-largest prize. The very next day, a $559.7 Powerball prize was claimed. That, at the time, was Powerball\u2019s third-largest prize ever.<\/p>\n

Gerry Aubin, a senior lottery advisor for Spectrum Gaming Group, told Casino.org<\/em> that when one lottery pool gets big, bettors flock to that and it grows faster. But that\u2019s harder to do when both haven\u2019t been claimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they\u2019ll split the wagers, but there\u2019s only so much money to go around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Powerball, Mega Millions No Longer Headline News<\/h2>\n

Another issue hurting the lotteries has been a lack of coverage.<\/p>\n

Aubin, who previously served as the director of the Rhode Island Lottery for more than 24 years, said there\u2019s a cadre of casual players who will not play the lottery until the news starts covering it. That coverage has picked up in the past week or so, he said, but it\u2019s still not as big a story as it would\u2019ve been in the past.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not alone in that line of thinking. Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for the convenience store industry trade group NACS, told Casino.org<\/em> that many TV news viewers aren\u2019t catching the lottery story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not seeing stories on the news like in more normal times because it has been crowded out by other news,\u201d <\/strong>he said. \u201cThese jackpots would be a top – or the top – news story most times, but has been reduced to an \u2018in other news tonight\u2019 story, if that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Powerball
(Sources: Mega Millions and Powerball)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How Can Lotteries Revive Appeal<\/h2>\n

Aubin recalled a time shortly after he started at the Rhode Island lottery and the Powerball grew to more than $100 million. Massachusetts then was not a part of the game\u2019s network, so plenty of people drove down Interstate 95 and other roads to get their tickets.<\/p>\n

Lines were as long as a football field in some places near the state line, he recalled. The same thing happened in Connecticut with New Yorkers driving across the state line, too.<\/p>\n

The only way he sees those lines possibly coming back is if a jackpot approaches the record amount.<\/p>\n

It was just such a novelty, and people wanted to become part of that cult-like mentality of buying a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket,\u201d Aubin told Casino.org<\/em>. \u201cSo that has gone away. It doesn’t have the cachet it had.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He noted that people with both games are trying to find solutions to create more interest and bigger jackpots. One possible suggestion is international expansion. However,\u00a0 he compared getting changes approved to an act of Congress. With all but five states involved in the games, it can create challenges to get consensus.<\/p>\n

Except for Nevada, every other state that has approved sports betting is also a part of the multi-state lottery games. Aubin said he does not see that as competition, since that appeals to a younger generation.<\/p>\n

But there are ways lotteries and retailers can appeal to that demographic, he said. That includes more lotteries allowing online sales. Retailers also need to embrace the use of debit and credit cards. Most convenience stores, he said, do not allow card payments because of the fees associated with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a big obstacle to try to get young people who don’t even know what a dollar bill looks like to then actually, physically go into a convenience store and make that purchase,\u201d<\/strong> Aubin told Casino.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n

COVID Causing Several Issues<\/h2>\n

All the above are formidable challenges for lottery games to overcome. Add in a pandemic with business closures, as well as social distancing requirements, and it becomes that much harder.<\/p>\n

Just saying COVID-19 is an issue, though, doesn\u2019t really give a sense for how it\u2019s impacted sales.<\/p>\n

Lenard noted fewer people are commuting to work. That reduces the chances they get to see billboards and subway signs touting jackpots. Another downside from the work-from-home climate, Aubin said, is that fewer people are getting up office pools to buy bundles of tickets.<\/p>\n

Another is that while convenience stores sales \u201care holding their own,\u201d Lenard said shoppers are making fewer visits. The data also indicates people are buying fewer impulse items as purchases have shifted to more bulk items.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, these are very difficult times for a substantial percentage of the population,\u201d <\/strong>Lenard told Casino.org<\/em>. \u201cFor those who are carefully watching their budgets, the lottery may not fit into their current spending patterns. All of this, plus concerns over lines and crowds related to the pandemic, are likely causes of the slowness in sales.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, Powerball holds its 36th drawing since the multi-state lottery produced a jackpot winner. That four-month span, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association that operates the game, represents its longest dry spell ever. Yet, while Wednesday\u2019s estimated $730 million jackpot is still massive \u2013 it\u2019s the fourth-largest in the game\u2019s history \u2013 it\u2019s taken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":161734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13699],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMore Than COVID Affecting Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yes, COVID has hindered Mega Millions and Powerball, but issues like big lottery jackpots pitted against each other have hurt sales too\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Than COVID Affecting Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yes, COVID has hindered Mega Millions and Powerball, but issues like big lottery jackpots pitted against each other have hurt sales too\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-19T06:22:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-19T17:18:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2054\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1249\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/\",\"name\":\"More Than COVID Affecting Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-19T06:22:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-19T17:18:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\"},\"description\":\"Yes, COVID has hindered Mega Millions and Powerball, but issues like big lottery jackpots pitted against each other have hurt sales too\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg\",\"width\":2054,\"height\":1249,\"caption\":\"A car passes a Kentucky Lottery billboard on Interstate 65 in Louisville promoting the jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball. Both lottery games have jackpots that rank among the highest in their history, but growing the pools has taken more time for several reasons. (Image: Casino.org)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lottery\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/lottery\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"More Than COVID Keeping Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots From Getting Bigger\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\",\"name\":\"Steve Bittenbender\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Steve Bittenbender\"},\"description\":\"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"More Than COVID Affecting Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots","description":"Yes, COVID has hindered Mega Millions and Powerball, but issues like big lottery jackpots pitted against each other have hurt sales too","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"More Than COVID Affecting Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots","og_description":"Yes, COVID has hindered Mega Millions and Powerball, but issues like big lottery jackpots pitted against each other have hurt sales too","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2021-01-19T06:22:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-01-19T17:18:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2054,"height":1249,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Bittenbender","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steve Bittenbender","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/","name":"More Than COVID Affecting Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-19T06:22:23+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-19T17:18:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2"},"description":"Yes, COVID has hindered Mega Millions and Powerball, but issues like big lottery jackpots pitted against each other have hurt sales too","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/20210118_175426-1.jpg","width":2054,"height":1249,"caption":"A car passes a Kentucky Lottery billboard on Interstate 65 in Louisville promoting the jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball. Both lottery games have jackpots that rank among the highest in their history, but growing the pools has taken more time for several reasons. (Image: Casino.org)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/more-than-covid-affecting-mega-millions-and-powerball-jackpots\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lottery","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/lottery\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"More Than COVID Keeping Mega Millions and Powerball Jackpots From Getting Bigger"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2","name":"Steve Bittenbender","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","caption":"Steve Bittenbender"},"description":"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161738"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}