Cost of playing Powerball to double

MIAMI, July 5 (UPI) -- The price of a Powerball ticket will double in 2012 when the multi-state lottery marks its 20th anniversary. The jackpots also will get bigger, officials say.

Beginning in January, a Powerball ticket will cost $2, while the basic jackpot will go to $40 million, The Miami Herald reported June 28. Matching five numbers without the Powerball number will get you $1 million instead of $200,000.

Players in 42 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands will have a slightly better chance of winning the jackpot, too, with odds falling from 195 million to 1 to 175 million to 1, the newspaper said. The chance of winning at least some cash will improve from 1 in 35 to about 1 in 32.

The pool of possible numbers is being reduced from 39 to 35, as well.

"We're excited to deliver the opportunity to create more millionaires and also provide more opportunities to raise additional revenues for the respected causes benefited by lotteries," the New York Post quoted Powerball Chairman Alan Yandow as saying.