Hot Lotto to End in October as Lotto America Revived
Friday August 4th 2017The final Hot Lotto drawing is set to take place on Saturday October 28th after the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) decided to bring it to an end. The announcement has come after lengthy discussions between the participating lotteries and the focus will now be on developing exciting new games, with Lotto America set to be revived in November.
Hot Lotto has been creating big winners since it was launched in 2002, with large jackpots offered every Wednesday and Saturday. It is currently played in 14 states - Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, or West Virginia.
However, sales have gradually declined, while the game has also found itself at the centre of a draw-rigging scandal after Eddie Tipton was found guilty on two counts of fraud for fixing a drawing in 2010 during his time as the MUSL’s director of information security.
Speaking about the decision to call time on Hot Lotto, Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich explained: “Any game has a lifespan. Lotteries are always looking for new ways to provide variety and choices for our players, and we do our best to update our game offerings over time. It takes months if not years of planning and programming to bring about changes in our lotto games, like this decision to end the Hot Lotto game.”
While Hot Lotto will no longer be available after October 28th, a new version of Lotto America is to be launched. The game will be played in states including New Hampshire, with tickets going on sale from November 12th.
Lotto America was the original name of Powerball and the new game will see ticket holders choose five numbers from 1 to 52, plus one Star Ball from a pool of ten. In the meantime, players still have time to try and win fantastic Hot Lotto prizes and can visit authorised retailers in any of the participating states.
Latest News