W.Va. reaps $2 million from Powerball, but Pa. eats into take
By LAWRENCE MESSINA Associated Press Writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s entry into the Powerball arena almost certainly blunted West Virginia’s take from a $217.8 million jackpot, state lottery officials said Monday.
West Virginia reaped $2 million from in-state sales of tickets for Saturday’s drawing. Before the neighboring Keystone State joined Powerball earlier this year, West Virginia saw four times that revenue from a similar-sized jackpot.
“We’re not complaining, it’s just that the gravy just isn’t as thick as it was before,” Lottery Commission spokeswoman Nancy Bulla said. “The truth is, Pennsylvania’s impacted us, but it’s not all bad.”
Ticket sellers in counties bordering Pennsylvania helped lottery officials gauge the effect. Hancock County led the state in Powerball sales when the jackpot last approached $218 million, in August 2001. Retailers there reported $2 million in sales for the 2001 drawing, compared with $155,000 from Saturday’s drawing.
“Hancock County always ranked number one. You’d even have people coming from New Jersey and New York,” Bulla said. “This time, Hancock ranked behind Kanawha County.”
But the recent entry of Pennsylvania and South Carolina into the 24-state lottery has had its benefits, Bulla said.
“Because of the increased ticket sales, we’re getting higher jackpots much more quickly,” she said. “Clearly, we’re delighted, because our average jackpot brings in sales of $400,000 to $600,000.”
Bulla also said three of the five states bordering West Virginia – Ohio, Maryland and Virginia – do not have Powerball, ensuring crossover ticket sales. Kentucky participates in the multistate game.
All but five of the 100 top Powerball retailers in the state are in border counties, she said.
Bulla said the number of tickets sold and the number of states participating do not affect the odds of winning.
As no one hit the Powerball jackpot Saturday, it is expected to increase to $280 million for a Christmas night drawing.