The decision is an agreement in principal. Details need to be worked out to ensure the final agreement works for both Powerball and Mega Millions states. No firm date has been set for implementation, although it could be [image-nocss] in early 2010, the groups said. The agreement means that lotteries from across the United States, including Washington State and the U.S. Virgin Islands, will be able to choose to offer their lottery players both jackpot games via their respective retailers.
Washington is one of three Mega Millions states that required legislation to sell both games. The 2009 Legislature granted Washington's lottery the ability to offer the multi-state draw game Powerball following final passage of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6108.
States that currently sell Powerball and other lottery products will have the opportunity to begin offering Mega Millions tickets to their players via authorized lottery retailers. As a result of this agreement, Mega Millions states will then be able to offer the Powerball game to complement their existing game mix.
Mega Millions is currently played in 12 states with a population of 160 million. Powerball is currently available from 33 jurisdictions (31 states plus the District of Columbia and Virgin Islands) with 125 million in population.
And in other lottery news, all 42 EZ Mart stores across the state of Arkansas have restricted lottery sales and will not sell or cash in tickets between midnight and 6:00 a.m., according to a report by KARK-TV.
Zone manager Richard King told the news outlet it is because the stores keep a minimum amount of cash on hand and do not have enough to cash in tickets for winners. He said it is also a robbery deterrent. King said this gives him and his employees peace of mind.
He added that this is the same policy the company has at stores in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.
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