Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 7, 1993 TAG: 9307070077
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DES MOINES, IOWA LENGTH: Medium
Steve Gates, 35, a Des Moines insurance salesman who bought five $1 tickets Tuesday, said he doubted the warning ads would have much impact. "If people are going to play, they're going to play no matter what," he said.
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia play Powerball, the fourth lottery nationwide to reach $100 million. Joining local players were many who crossed Lottery ads not supposed to seduce you . . . directly. B6 state lines for a chance.
Ads urging people to "please play responsibly and within your budget" started running in Iowa when the jackpot for Saturday reached $78 million. There was no weekend winner, and the next drawing is Wednesday.
Lottery officials in Idaho, Indiana and Minnesota also ran cautionary ads.
Officials said they wanted to keep people caught up in the ticket-buying frenzy from going too far.
"We aren't exactly sure what to expect when it gets up this high," said Chuck Strutt, director of the Multi-State Lottery Association in Des Moines, which manages Powerball.
"As part of state government, it's our duty to maximize sales, but the law also says `maintain the dignity of the state,' " said Iowa Lottery spokesman Bret Vorhees. "We want people to know the lottery is a game, and it's supposed to be fun."
Powerball is played in West Virginia, Iowa, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.
Players pick five "white ball" numbers between 1 and 45, then a single red "powerball" number, which is drawn from a separate container of balls also numbered 1 through 45.
Odds of winning are 1 in 54.9 million, the number of possible combinations.
The nation's record jackpot was California's $118.8 million, which was split 10 ways in April 1991. Pennsylvania and Florida lotteries also have reached $100 million. The old Powerball record was $59 million, which two players shared in March.
Along the flooded Mississippi River, some players hoped for a big win to offset losses caused by high water.
"They say, `I'm flooded, and it would help me if I could win,' " said Terry Eickhoff, a cashier at Eagle Food Center in Davenport in eastern Iowa.
Elsewhere, the huge jackpot attracted some who rarely gamble.
"Everybody's talking about it," said Debra Allen, an assistant manager at the Five Star Food Mart in Louisville, Ky. "I know a lot of people are playing that don't usually play. I'm one of them."
by CNB