NASHVILLE, TN – The Tennessee Lottery will begin selling the multi-state Mega Millions game early next year while eliminating the smaller Lotto Plus game, a switch designed to spike lottery traffic by luring casual players with large jackpots, The Tennessean reports.
Retailers approve of the move, predicting that it will be good for business.
"Mega Millions will do good," said Nejm Khalfaoui, general manger of a Tennessee Shell gas station and lottery outlet. "Taking out Lotto Plus won't affect anything because it's not selling so much anyway."
Lottery officials predict that Mega Millions will boost revenue for education by up to $15 million per year. The state’s lottery board voted unanimously earlier this week to enter a licensing agreement with the governing body of Mega Millions.
"It gives people who like to play the lottery access to another game, and all projections indicate it will create more revenue for educational programs," said Keith Simmons, a lottery board member. "It seems to me that everybody wins."
Dropping Lotto Plus was not a difficult decision, as the game produces under $5 million in revenue for education each year, far less than what Mega Millions is expected to earn. And because both games draw winners on the same days — Tuesdays and Fridays — the board went with the game expected to generate the greatest returns.
Currently, 12 states play Mega Millions, and 33 jurisdictions sell Powerball tickets. Previously, states had to choose one game or the other, but a new agreement allows states to cross-sell both tickets.