Big-prize Powerball game rolls into Ohio

Bernice Smigielski, assistant manager at Tom's Carry Out on Lagrange Street in the central city's Polish Village, says many customers are eager for Powerball.

Jetta Fraser

Here's a reason to feel lucky: Tickets for the multimillion-dollar jackpot game Powerball are to go on sale for the first time in Ohio tomorrow.

The game, which has existed for 18 years in many other states, starts with a jackpot of $20 million and rises steadily until someone wins the grand prize. Secondary prizes can be as high as $200,000.

Ohio's participation in selling the Powerball tickets is part of an agreement between the Multi-State Lottery Association, which administers the game, and a consortium of states including Ohio that runs the Mega Millions lotto. Last fall, these two groups agreed to begin selling each other's lottery tickets, explained Marie Kilbane, a spokesman for the Ohio Lottery.

Ohio joins 41 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands in offering the Powerball game. Michigan began selling the tickets Jan. 31.

“We're excited to get into it,” Ms. Kilbane said. “People who enjoy Mega Millions will enjoy this too. It's just a little bit different.”

Bernice Smigielski, assistant manager at Tom's Carry Out on Lagrange Street in the central city's Polish Village, says many customers are eager for Powerball.

Profits from Powerball in Ohio will go to the Lottery Profits Education Fund, which helps fund kindergarten through 12th grade education across the state. Ms. Kilbane said Powerball is expected to bring an extra $10 million into the fund.

To win the jackpot, players must match five numbers out of a pool of numbers from 1 to 59, and a separate red “Powerball” number from a pool from 1 to 39.

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 195 million, but players can win lesser amounts by matching other combinations. Overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 35.

Tickets cost $1, and players can choose an additional “Power Play” option for an extra $1 that would multiply any nonjackpot winnings.

Drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday.

The highest Powerball jackpot ever was $365 million.

Anthony Galloway, a retired cook, says he needs to ‘win big' and might try for it with Powerball.

Powerball is subtly different from Mega Millions in that the starting jackpot is higher — Mega Millions starts at $12 million — and drawings for that game are Tuesdays and Fridays.

The overall chance of winning a Mega Millions prize is lower, at 1 in 40, but players have slightly better odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot.

At the Stop'n'Go store in East Toledo, manager Adam Saw has witnessed growing excitement among his customers over Powerball's imminent arrival.

He said people have been asking since last week about when they can buy tickets.

“I think it's a very famous game, and they're very excited about it,” Mr. Saw said. “I'm sure it will make some revenue for me, but the big winner will be the state of Ohio.”

One customer, Kurt Pryka, 25, said he already plays Mega Millions and Pick 3 every week, but welcomes the chance to try something new.

“One of these days, I think I'm going to get lucky,” Mr. Pryka said. “With this Powerball coming, I think my chances are up.”

Another customer, Anthony Perez, 36, of East Toledo said he heard about the game while living in Tennessee a year ago.

“A lot of people play it. They win on that game a lot,” Mr. Perez said.

Anthony Galloway, a retired cook from Rossford, said he would try the game if he thought he could win. He said he's won up to $5,000 in the past by playing scratch-off games, but that was years ago.

“I need to win,” Mr. Galloway said with a grin. “I need to win big.”

Across town at Tom's Carry Out on Lagrange Street in Toledo's “Polish Village,” assistant manager Bernice Smigielski said she'd also sensed a lot of excitement from her customers about Powerball. But she worried older people wouldn't take to it.

“A lot of folks don't like change, especially seniors,” Ms. Smigielski said.

“But I think many of us will give it a shot because it will be played on the opposite days of the Mega [Millions].”

Those new players will include Ms. Smigielski herself.

“I gotta play,” she said. “It's my ticket to retirement,”

Contact Claudia Boyd-Barrett at: cbarrett@theblade.comor 419-724-6507.