Powerball Welcomes Florida

It's official! Florida will now be joining the states that offer their citizens the opportunity to play the Powerball Lottery. The number of states offering Powerball now stands at 32 states including, Arizona Lottery, Colorado Lottery, Connecticut Lottery, D.C. Lottery (District of Columbia), Delaware Lottery, Idaho Lottery, Hoosier Lottery (Indiana), Iowa Lottery, Kansas Lottery, Kentucky lottery, Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Maine Lottery, Minnesota State Lottery, Missouri Lottery, Montana Lottery, Nebraska Lottery, New Hampshire Lottery Commission, New Mexico Lottery, North Carolina Education Lottery, North Dakota Lottery, Oklahoma Lottery, Oregon Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, Rhode Island Lottery, South Carolina Education Lottery, South Dakota Lottery, Tennessee Education Lottery, Virgin Islands Lottery, Vermont Lottery, Wisconsin Lottery, and the West Virginia Lottery.

The addition of Florida means bigger jackpots and slightly altered odds. Players will actually have a better chance of winning smaller prizes according to the North Carolina lottery. Many new features have been added including changes in white and red ball numbers. White balls will now be numbered 55 to 59 while the number of red balls , the Powerball , a player can select will be reduced from 42 to 39. Odds of winning will now be 1 in 195 million and the odds of winning one of the many smaller prizes will improve to 1 in 35.

Other changes include,

1. The starting jackpot will be $20 million instead of $15 million.

2. Reduced odds will add an additional 3 million prizes.

3. The ticket price will remain the same and there will still be 9 ways to win. The power play option will be continued for an additional $1 and will be offering a random multiplier of 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X for all cash prizes won on the bottom seven prize levels.

4. The multiplier does not apply to the jackpot or 2nd prize.

5. The second tier Match 5 win now has a guaranteed $1 million prize when you purchase Power Play and match all five white balls. This $1 million prize will be paid in cash, in one lump sum less Federal and State withholdings.

The new Powerball game is expected to start in January of 2009. This is great news for lottery players nationwide and welcome Florida Powerball!

Several states now offer both Powerball and Mega Millions. States hard hit by the recession are looking for new ways to boost lagging ticket sales. Several states are exploring the possibility of allowing players to purchase lottery tickets on the internet. Most lottery experts agree that the merging of traditional lottery games with 21st century technology would be a wise move for state lotteries across the country.