Have you ever noticed that the Powerball jackpot now grows at a faster rate for each draw? It's not a coincidence, but the power of sales. There are now 29 member lotteries with a total population of more than 90 million selling Powerball tickets through 55,000 terminals.

National sales are up in fiscal year 2004 partly because four states have joined the multistate game within the past year: Vermont last July, North Dakota in March, Tennessee in April and Maine in July.

In comparing the 2004 fiscal year to 2003, Louisiana has also seen nearly a 17 percent increase. In fact, Powerball sales for the last fiscal year were the best in Louisiana's history, due mainly to the five Powerball jackpots exceeding $100 million.

While the added population may help the jackpot grow quicker, it also means more players and more coverage of the possible number combinations, so the jackpot may get hit sooner. It remains to be seen exactly how this will affect overall sales, which are heavily influenced by the occurrence of high-level jackpots. According to Karen Fournet, Senior Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, having five major jackpots in one year is somewhat of an anomaly and can't necessarily be counted on to happen again.

Another factor potentially affecting Powerball sales, especially for the Lottery's Texas border retailers are the recent high-level Mega Millions jackpots. Three Vinton retailers located on I-10 near the Texas border offer their views of how Mega Millions has impacted Powerball sales...

Michelle Jinks, who works in the accounts receivable department with Longhorn Truck & Car Plaza in Vinton said she doesn't see a change at all. She said that while their sales haven't increased, they remain steady.

Lashon Miller at Delta Downs in Vinton definitely sees a change in sales from Texas players. "A lot of Texas people say the Louisiana jackpot is too small compared to their jackpot," she said.

Karen, manager at Herbert's Grocery in Vinton, doesn't see any changes in their sales since Texas began offering Mega Millions in December. "Our regular customers play both games," she said.

This article originally appeared in Louisiana Lottery Exchange. Click here to download a PDF of this article.

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