Mulling Mega Millions
|  Video
|
| Matt Bradley |
| 10/30/2009 |
.jpg) |
| North Dakota lottery players could soon play a new game, that promises huge jackpots. For the first time, states that have Powerball will also be able to offer the Mega Millions lottery game. The state lottery commission is waiting on a decision from Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. Like Powerball, Mega Millions is a multi-state game. The largest Powerball jackpot was $365 million, while the mega millions jackpot has hit a record $390 million. Jackpots that size are guaranteed to generate a lot of interest. Jerry Mykleseth is no stranger to playing the lottery. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess," he says. He lives in Moorhead, and usually plays the Gopher Five, only available in Minnesota. Now, though, the Wildcard jackpot has grown, so he`s buying his tickets at Petro Serve USA in Fargo. Mykleseth 21:49 "It`s nice to live on a border town so if they don`t have it in Minnesota you can come over to North Dakota and that`s the case with the Wildcard," says Mykleseth. North Dakota lottery officials worry they`ll see that in reverse if they`re not able to offer the mega millions game. "It would put North Dakota at a disadvantage," says Randy Miller, the ND State Lottery Director. He says this decision is very important for the eastern part of the state because if people really wanna play mega millions but can`t in North Dakota, it`s just a short drive for them across the river "Not only lost sales related to the lottery sales but also there`s other purchases such as fuel and groceries that could also affect the North Dakota retailers in their loss of sales," Miller says. "They come in and buy lottery tickets they buy other things too," says Dan Phillips, a manager at Petro Serve. Phillips says he doesn`t expect people to cross the border for a lottery ticket, unless there are a few hundred million reasons. "I think with a game like that if it was something bigger than Powerball, definitely," he says. North Dakota lottery administrators say they figure if Minnesota has Mega Millions, and North Dakota doesn`t, the state will lose one- to two-million-dollars per year from people crossing the border to buy tickets. On the other hand, if Mega Millions comes to North Dakota, they estimate it will bring in an approximately two million dollars to the state each year. If approved, Mega Millions tickets could be available on January 31st. |
© KMOT-TV
Home | News | Weather | Sports | Webcast | Morning News | Programming | Primetime Rewind | Advertising & Sales | About Us
Community Connection | Movies | Contests & Promotions | Search | Links | Contact Us | Site Map | Follow us on: Facebook
Sister Stations: KFYR TV in Bismarck, KUMV in Williston, KQCD in Dickinson
