Mega Millions maybe marching to N.M.

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Mega Millions could be on its way to New Mexico as early as next year if the New Mexico Lottery Board decides offering two giant-jackpot games here makes monetary sense.

The recent announcement that Mega Millions and Powerball were teaming up is giving all states including New Mexico the opportunity to sell chances for both.

Powerball player Jon Rowlay said he thinks the state should go for it.

“I think it's a great idea," he said. “I think we're all kind of people that like to take chances every once in a while."

However the decision is not as easy for the New Mexico Lottery. For the next few weeks its board will be crunching numbers to see if adding the new game will help or hurt lottery revenues in New Mexico.

“We have to look at how much it's going to cost to market that game,” Lottery spokeswoman Linda Hamlin said.

According to Hamlin the costs can add up quickly. If they decide to take on the national game
New Mexico Lottery will need to print out Mega Millions bubble sheets, change lottery vending machines, reprogram machines and retrain sales clerks.

While signing up could be a big gamble for New Mexico lottery, the stakes could be even higher if the state decides not to jump on the Mega Millions bandwagon.

If neighboring states like Texas decide to sell both Mega Millions and Powerball some New Mexicans could take their money elsewhere.

“The players who are in New Mexico will go over to go buy Mega Millions in Texas and buy their Powerball there,” Hamlin said, “It's what's convenient; it's what's simple, and who can blame them?”

If sales drop money for the lottery scholarship could decrease, too.

The rules to Powerball and Mega Millions are remarkably similar. The big difference is Powerball drawings are on Wednesday and Saturday; Mega Millions draws numbers on Tuesday and Friday.

The largest Powerball jackpot ever was $365 million. The record for a Mega Millions jackpot was $390 million.