Scratch-offs have been available for more than two months already and have proven to be very popular, but it is draw games such as Mega Millions and Powerball which are set to generate even more excitement. Residents have previously had to cross state lines to buy tickets, but now they can just find a local retailer within Mississippi.
Traditional convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, tobacco stores, casinos and even some barber shops are among the 1,200 approved retailers. LaDarion Ammons, the chief marketing officer of the Chuk Stop Food Mart on 3165 Robinson St. in Jackson, cannot wait for it all to get started.
He said: “It's been an exciting time to be a retailer for the Mississippi lottery as customers have been excited and more amped up about the Powerball and Mega Millions in the coming week. We thank Rep. Alyce Clarke, a frequent customer, for her years of working to bring a lottery to Mississippi.”
Mississippi was finally given the go-ahead to introduce a lottery when a bill was signed by Governor Phil Bryant in August 2018, following a long history of political resistance to the idea. It then took months of work to set up the new lottery corporation and implement a launch.
The state now becomes the 48th member of Powerball and the 47th member of Mega Millions. Lottery officials will be looking forward to creating the first big winners in both games.
Biggest Jackpots in the World
Powerball and Mega Millions are responsible for the two biggest prizes ever to have been given away in any lottery games anywhere in the world. Three tickets split a Powerball jackpot of $1.58 billion in January 2016, while one player from South Carolina landed $1.53 billion on Mega Millions in October 2018.
Mississippians have always had to travel miles to give themselves a chance of winning these colossal jackpots, making it so much harder to take part. Now, someone from the state is just as likely to win the top prize as anyone in another participating jurisdiction.
It is an ideal time to be joining both games too. The Powerball jackpot has surged past $350 million over the past week, while Mega Millions is currently worth $155 million. Mega Millions, which takes place on Friday night, will be the first draw that Mississippians can get lucky in, followed by Powerball on Saturday.
Find out more about how to play both Mega Millions and Powerball, then consider which numbers to pick and get down to an approved retailer to take part in this historic moment.