U.S. lottery lowers portion of cash allocated to jackpot prize

SCHENECTADY, N.Y., July 7 (UPI) -- The 36 U.S. states that participate in the lottery will be affected by a commission decision made Monday that seeks to keep the lottery going.

During a meeting Monday, The New York State Gaming Commission lowered the portion of money being allocated to the jackpot from 68% to 64%. Odds will be affected when the numbers in the first set of choices rise to 69 possibilities and numbers in the second set decline to 25 possibilities.

The third-level prize will also rise from $10,000 to $50,000. Additionally, the odds of landing only a $4 jackpot will rise to 1 in 92 from 1 in 111.

Winning the jackpot requires choosing five numbers from the first set and one from the second.

The new odds will begin on Oct. 4 and affect the Oct. 7 drawing. The chances of winning will go up to 1 in 25 from 1 in 32.

The Commission claims that since 36 states participate in the lottery, the jackpot was growing too large for the Gaming Commission to stay alive. The Powerball lottery is also on the decline, with national lottery ticket sales dropping by 19% in 2014, a year without a huge jackpot.