Lotteries May Cross-Sell Tickets

DES MOINES, Oct. 13 -- Officials for the nation's two biggest lottery games are talking about cross-selling tickets in jurisdictions with the potential for a national lottery, the head of an industry association said Tuesday.

Powerball is played in 31 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mega Millions is played in 12 states. The consortium behind Mega Millions and the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball, have agreed in principle to cross-sell tickets for both games beginning next year, officials said.

"It's a way to increase sales and reach out to more players," said Thomas N. Shaheen, the president of the lottery association's board of directors and executive director of the North Carolina Education Lottery.

The idea surfaced last year after officials noticed that when jackpots grew, players who live in states offering Powerball would cross the border to buy tickets in states selling Mega Millions, and vice versa, he said.

Cross-selling would give players the chance to buy whatever ticket they want in their home state, said Andi Brancato, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Lottery, which is a member of Mega Millions.

Shaheen said a national lottery that would be in addition to Powerball and Mega Millions is also in the works.

Cross-selling could start in early 2010, and the organizations could begin a national lottery by next fall, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association.

Shaheen said each state will decide whether to participate in cross-selling or join a national lottery.