California Lottery Joins Mega Millions

California Lottery Joins Mega Millions

Most Populous State Adds Millions of Potential Players to the Game

RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Virginia Mega Millions players will soon see larger jackpots when Californians begin playing the popular multi- state game. The California State Lottery officially announced today that the nation's most populous state will join the 11 other Mega Millions states later this year.

California State Lottery Director Chon Gutierrez and his staff spent over a year researching a multi-state game before deciding to choose Mega Millions over Powerball.

"This is fantastic news for Mega Millions," said Virginia Lottery Executive Director Penelope W. Kyle, who was the first president of the Mega Millions Consortium. "Bringing California to Mega Millions is also a huge win for the Virginia Lottery."

The addition of California, the most populous state in the nation, means a much larger player-base for the Mega Millions game. More players, in turn, mean more game play, leading to faster-growing jackpots that can climb to new record levels much quicker. Mega Millions (formerly the Big Game) holds the record for the largest jackpot in North American history. It reached $363 million in May of 2000.

"Virginians will see the effect of California's addition to the game in larger jackpots, and most importantly, more funds raised for K through 12 education in the Commonwealth," said Kyle. All Virginia Lottery profits go to public school education (K-12) in Virginia. In fiscal year 2004 the Virginia Lottery turned over a record $408 million for education.

Mega Millions is currently played in 11 states: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

The price of tickets will remain at $1.00 and Mega Millions drawings will continue to be held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 p.m. Central Time, and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. For overall information regarding Mega Millions and media contact information, please go to: http://www.megamillions.com/ or http://www.valottery.com/.


Source: Virginia Lottery

CONTACT: Jill Vaughan of Virginia Lottery, +1-804-692-7778

Web site: http://www.valottery.com/
http://www.megamillions.com/


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