World Lottery Progress
Last Updated: Monday 23rd November 2015, 16:49
The launch of a new World Lottery is one giant step closer to becoming a reality thanks to the UK National Lottery organiser entering into a deal with lottery operators in the USA. The Sunday Times reports that jackpots of more than £250 million could be on offer and that the new World Lottery could launch as soon as 2011.
According to the Sunday Times, the deal takes the form of ‘an exploratory agreement’ with the organisation responsible for the US Powerball game. Powerball is one of the big two multi-state lotteries in the US (the other being Mega Millions) and is played in thirty states as well as in the US Virgin Islands and Washington D.C.
Powerball boasts the biggest lottery payout of any game in the world, a whopping $365 million that was won by a single ticket on February 18, 2006. The ticket was purchased by a syndicate of eight in Nebraska.
Clearly, the people behind the Powerball lottery know how to stage a great game with massive prizes, and our own UK lottery organiser has equally impressive credentials. As well as introducing the lottery to the UK in 1994, it played a key role in launching EuroMillions in 2004 with lottery operators in France and Spain, and there have been rumours that EuroMillions is being used as a viable World Lottery template.
As well as entering into the recent exploratory deal with the Powerball operator, the UK lottery operator has also received interest in World Lottery participation from around four dozen other lottery organisations all over the globe. This is evidence, if any were needed, that interest in making the World Lottery vision a reality is as high as could ever be hoped.
The UK lottery operator revealed a few details of its vision for a World Lottery Draw in 2007. Back then, lottery players were tantalised by the idea of a game that would create up to 100 new millionaires with every draw, and also by the hint of an annual Superdraw that would put even more instant wealth up for grabs.
It will obviously take more time for the World Lottery dream to be realised, but we are pleased that progress is being made so rapidly, and we look forward to bringing you more details on this continuing project as we receive them.