It's the last Lotto for Texas' bonus ball

Saturday, April 22, 2006 posted 08:25 PM EDT

Say buh-bye to the bonus ball.

Tonight’s $32-million jackpot Lotto Texas drawing will be last for the much-loathed little guy, who proved unpopular with players.

The Texas Lottery Commission voted Feb. 27 to scratch the unpopular ball and return to better sales and better odds.

Lotto Texas will return to a matrix that was abandoned three years ago in which players may choose six numbers from among 54, with odds of winning the jackpot at 1 in 25.8 million.

Under the bonus ball matrix, which had been in play since May 2003, players chose five numbers from 1 to 44 and one bonus ball from 1 to 44, almost doubling the jackpot odds to 1 in 47.8 million.

"People roundly dislike the bonus ball feature, the extra number you have to choose," Lottery Commission spokeswoman Leticia Vasquez told the Chronicle in February.

The bonus ball was added to help create mega-jackpots and, lottery officials hoped at the time, boost sales, but the opposite happened.

Sales for the revived Lotto Texas game will begin at 6 a.m. Sunday.

The first drawing with the revived play style will be Wednesday, April 26, at 10:12 p.m., after the Pick Three and Cash Five drawings.

Related Links
	Lottery News & Stories
	Texas Lottery Results
	Search Past Texas Lottery Winning Numbers