Make-Over of SuperLotto Game Urged

Hoping to boost slumping sales by attracting more gamblers, the California State Lottery is proposing to revamp its SuperLotto game by offering more prizes, while slashing the likelihood of winning the game’s jackpot.

The changes are intended to make SuperLotto more like the “Powerball” and “Big Game” lotto games offered in 28 of the 37 states that now hold lotteries.

The aim is to boost SuperLotto sales, which have been declining for the past four years. Sales of SuperLotto tickets have dropped 12.6% from $1.1 billion in 1995-96 to about $975 million in the current fiscal year.

“This year is the first time that SuperLotto won’t be the No. 1 seller,” lottery spokeswoman Joanne McNabb said.

To create bigger jackpots to generate more interest in SuperLotto, officials propose adding a second field of numbers to the game. Players would choose five numbers from one to 47 and then choose one “MEGA” number from a field of one to 27.

The change would increase the number of prize levels in SuperLotto from four to nine and give rise to bigger jackpots. This is because the additional numbers would change the odds of winning the SuperLotto jackpot from the current 1 in 18 million to 1 in 41 million.

During the past fiscal year there was one SuperLotto jackpot of $65 million or more. Under the new proposal such jackpots are likely to increase on average to six a year.

“It creates more big jackpots and more winners by putting more prize money and levels of prizes below the jackpot,” McNabb said. “So on average there will be three times as many winners on the draw.”

Consequently, the odds of winning any SuperLotto prize would change from the current 1 in 60 to 1 in 23. But while the odds of winning a prize increase, the chances of winning a big cash prize would fall.

Under the current system, the second-largest prize is won when a player matches five numbers, which typically nets about $1,500. The odds of matching five numbers now are 1 in 66,702.

The new proposal calls for the cash prize for matching five numbers to be raised to $10,000 to $25,000, but the odds of winning would change to 1 in 1.5 million.

McNabb said the new version of SuperLotto responds to requests by retailers and players for the California Lottery to offer a game that resembles Powerball, which is offered in 20 states and the District of Columbia and is known for its huge jackpots and additional prizes at lower levels.

After California added more prizes to its Scratchers game, sales more than doubled in three years--an experience that lottery officials would like to duplicate with the new version of SuperLotto.

The Lottery Commission is scheduled to consider the staff recommendation for the changes at its April 28 meeting in Sacramento. Officials expect that California’s lottery will contribute about $877 million to schools this year on sales of nearly $2.6 billion. If the proposed changes win approval from the Lottery Commission, it is estimated that the SuperLotto game could generate $1.8 billion more in sales in the first three years, with education’s share averaging $200 million each year. The lottery covers a fraction of the cost of schools. The state will spend about $28 billion on public schools, kindergarten through 12th grade.

SuperLotto Declines

SuperLotto sales have steadily dropped, while total California Lottery sales have risen.

Total sales:

1995-96: $2.3 billion

1999-2000: $2.5 billion

SuperLoto sales:

1995-96: $1.1 billion

1999-2000: $975 million

Source: California Lottery