Powerball makes its debut in Florida
Sunday, January 04, 2009 posted 06:34 PM EST
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The lottery game with the world's largest jackpots debuts in South Florida today.
But, will it help a slump in ticket sales in today's tough economy?
There are now more than 13,000 Powerball retailers statewide.
The Florida lottery is hoping the new game will attract more money. So are store owners.
At the E-Z Pick on Military Trail near Forrest Hill, Rahman Mohamed has just bought two Powerball tickets.
"My hobby is to whole of the world tour with my family," said Mohamed. "And if I hit, Oh!"
"Yeah, the Powerball is going on," said ticket-seller Adam Arif.
He's counting on the new game's mega-jackpots to boost ticket sales, saying the numbers have dropped in recent months.
"It's slow actually," said Arif. "Lottery sales have gone down a little bit. I think Powerball is going to boost sales. I hope so."
Florida is now the 30th state in America to offer the Powerball lottery. The Virgin Islands also feature it.
At a 711 on Congress and Summit, Milton Jones was really excited to be playing Powerball for the first time.
"I think the possibility is good," said Jones. "Yes, I do. I'm just praying a hoping I win."
A $105,000,000 jackpot is being offered for this Wednesday nights drawing!
Folks driving along South Florida roads might notice new billboards.
It's one of the many methods now being used by the state lottery to lure more players to this new game.
State lotteries across the nation are now hoping to buck an unusual phenomenon.
Instead of tickets sales going up during a bad economy, they're going down this time around.
"I don't play Lotto," said E-Z Pick customer John Skrzycki. "Some people spend a lot of money on it and don't win. Some people spend a little bit of money and they win. I just don't think the odds are in my favor, that's why I've never played."
Florida should not bet on a financial windfall just yet.
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