Everything You Need to Know About the New Lotto America
Wednesday August 9th 2017Lotto America tickets go on sale Sunday November 12th, marking the relaunch of a game last played in 1992. The new version of the lottery will replace Hot Lotto, which will be drawn for the last time on Saturday October 28th, following declining sales. Here’s everything you need to know about the new draw.
What Has Changed With Lotto America?
When Lotto America ended in 1992, to make way for Powerball, players had to match six numbers from 54 to win the jackpot. The revival of Lotto America sees ticket holders choosing five main numbers from 52 and one Star Ball from a pool of ten. Tickets will cost $1 per line and the jackpot will start at $2 million, raising to higher values through rollovers.
All Star Bonus Number
Like Powerplay in Powerball and Mega Millions’ Megaplier, Lotto America has its own multiplier. The All Star Bonus Number is drawn on the same night as the main game numbers and multiplies any non-jackpot win by two, three, four or five, depending on which ball is drawn. Players pay an extra $1 per line to take part.
Lotto America Prizes and Odds of Winning
There are nine prize tiers in the new Lotto America, with players picking up $2 for matching the Star Ball alone. The more numbers matched, the bigger the award, and ticket holders have a 1 in 9.6 chance of winning any prize. The odds of claiming the jackpot stand at 1 in 25,989,600, which are very favourable when compared to those of the other big multistate lotteries.
Participating States
It is expected that 13 states will offer Lotto America tickets when they go on sale, all but one of the current Hot Lotto contingent. New Hampshire is the odd-one-out, with the state lottery confirming its entry into the game will be postponed.
Why is Hot Lotto Ending?
Hot Lotto began in 2002 and, although it was popular in the past, officials decided that declining interest from players meant it had run its course. Winners will still be able to claim prizes from the last drawings under the same rules as before, but the game will end on October 28th.
The Eddie Tipton scandal, where the Multi-State Lottery Association’s former director of information security was found guilty of rigging a 2010 Hot Lotto drawing and attempting to claim the $14.3 million prize for himself, has also tainted the game’s reputation.
Take a look at the Lotto America page for more information and don’t forget to check the winning numbers on Lottery.net once the game gets underway.
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