Powerball adds 3rd weekly drawing

Jackpots that have put millions of dollars into the pockets of Pennsylvanians could be on the rise soon after Powerball officials announced a third drawing per week in 48 states.

Beginning Aug. 23, Powerball drawings across the country will be held on Mondays in addition to Wednesdays and Saturdays. Players will be able to add Double Play to their purchase, an optional feature in which players pay $1 for another chance to win with their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing. The top prize is $10 million.

“By adding an extra day to play Powerball, and with a new Double Play add-on option for a chance to win more prizes, we believe we’ll be reaching new players and selling more tickets,” said Ewa Swope, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Lottery. “Those additional sales mean jackpots will grow faster.”

Lottery officials attributed the decision to add a weekly drawing to player demand as well as the ability to send additional dollars to older populations. Of each dollar spent on lottery games, 65.5% goes toward winner prizes, 24.5% goes to senior programs, 7.4% goes to retailer and vendor commissions and 2.6% goes to operating expenses.

The decision likely boiled down to revenue, said Valerie Cross, who oversees PlayPennsylvania.com, an independent website covering legal and regulated gambling in the state.

“Lottery officials believe that, ultimately, this will drive more revenue for the states because headline-­grabbing jackpots will come more frequently,” Cross said. “With every state turning over the cushions in searching for new avenues to generate revenue, this decision makes a lot of sense.”

As things stand, about 52% of weekly Powerball sales come from drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with other sales coming from players who purchase tickets in advance. According to Swope, “this gives us confidence that adding an additional drawing day on Mondays will boost sales and help jackpots grow faster.”

Swope was unable to provide an estimate of how much sales are expected to grow. In previous years, however, Powerball sales have raked in millions of dollars.

During the 2017-18 fiscal year, Powerball and Power Play sales grew by $20.1 million, or by 8%, according to a profit report. However, during the 2018-19 fiscal year, sales declined by $12.2 million, or 4.5%. That trend continued into 2019-20 when the covid-19 pandemic slowed sales. During that fiscal year, Powerball sales declined by $122.6 million, or 47%.

The Powerball that fiscal year also saw its lowest average jackpot since the 2014-15 fiscal year, and its lowest maximum jackpot in the past eight years, according to the report.

By January, however, sales seemed to be picking up as the jackpots for Mega Millions and the Powerball lotteries continued to grow after players did not win the top prize for months. At the time, almost $1.4 billion was available, with $750 million from Mega Millions and $640 million from the Powerball.

It was only the second time both of the national lottery games topped $500 million. At the time, Mega Millions sales increased by 700%, and Powerball sales by 200% across the state.

Through June, about $3.75 million was won through the Powerball drawings in Pennsylvania this year, according to the state Lottery website.

Cross added that it was not immediately clear how the additional Powerball drawing might impact other lottery products in the state, “Which is the biggest concern. Will people spend less on the lottery’s games? I presume lottery officials have contemplated this, but generally bigger jackpots draw more sales.”

Despite adding the third drawing, however, the chances of winning the grand prize in a single drawing will not change, said Konstantinos Pelechrinis, an associate professor in the department of informatics and networked systems at the University of Pittsburgh.

“Sure the number of tries now are increased by an additional 52 trials but this increase is minuscule to move the needle of your overall chances,” Pelechrinis said via email. “What you really care about is the expected return on the $2 ‘investment’ you are making by buying that ticket. This remains the same.”

Lottery officials have been gearing up for the expected changes by decreasing the number of advance draws that are available. On May 26, the number of advance draws available began decreasing by one. That took place after each drawing, and will continue through the Aug. 23 drawing.

In all, the number of advance draws available will change from 26 to 20.