The Nation - News from Feb. 4, 1988

Retailers reported sluggish business as tickets for a new multi-state Lotto America game went on sale, but lottery officials predicted heightened interest as players become accustomed to the game. Launched on the theme of “Think Big, Win Big,” Lotto America is the first lottery involving noncontiguous states, and officials promise a minimum jackpot of $2 million when the game kicks off with a drawing held in Des Moines on Feb. 13. A joint lottery involving Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont has been operating for two years. In the new game, players in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Rhode Island, Oregon, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., must choose seven numbers from a field of 40.