First Mega Millions, Now Power Ball?

Friday, November 20, 2009 posted 09:42 AM EST

Albany/Rochester, N.Y. - The New York Lottery wants to add the multi-state game Power Ball by the end of the year, but the critics, including some lawmakers, say the lottery amounts to a tax on people with lower incomes.

The state views it as a way to raise revenue to help with the fiscal crisis.

Lottery players at World Wide News are very familiar with Power Ball.

Lotto player Anthony Shellman said, "I think it’s kind of cool; there’s a lot of money involved."

Powerball is available in 32 states and averages bigger jackpots. Mega Millions promises a jackpot of at least $2 million, but Powerball promises $20 million.

Sherman Cunningham plays Mega Millions two or three times a week. "It’s harder to win,” he said, “But you never know! You got a dollar or $2 --you never know!"

"Every state has something,” said Lotto player Kip Majchrzak. “The Mega Millions, the Powerball, the lottery—it’s nothing different than every other state is going to have."

Bringing Power Ball to New York is not a done deal. A spokesman for the lottery says the hope is to give all states that carry one of the games, the option of carrying both. Those details still have to be worked out, however. If that's approved, it would take at least six months to get the game up and running.

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