What is the Most Played Lottery in the World?
There are several ways of ranking lottery games around the world, with the leading criteria being the size of the jackpot and the number of players. These two factors are interrelated as big ticket sales trigger a boost in payouts and the American lotteries Mega Millions and Powerball were always at the top of the list. Powerball was introduced earlier and took full advantage of this slight edge over its main competitor, to become the most played lottery in the US and worldwide.
Numbers speak for themselves
2013 is coming to an end and we have enough data on our hands to draw definitive conclusions regarding the number of tickets sold by both lotteries. On average, the Powerball enjoyed sales of $52 million for each drawing, twice as much as the Mega Millions who barely crossed the $25 million threshold.
The numbers vary when top jackpots are to be won, but in the great scheme of things Powerball has a certain advantage. Lottoreport.com is an excellent resource for information regarding the status of both lotteries, with its archive going back more than a decade. To catch a glimpse at how sales looked like for the last two months, check out the table below:
Record jackpots influence ticket sales
As seen in the table, when either lottery jackpot heads to new highs, the number of tickets sold also increases and the Mega Millions enjoyed an impressive surge this month. While the jackpot was finally split by two lucky players, the number of tickets sold is expected to plummet once again as the main prize resets at $12 million. By contrast, Powerball sales remained constant and one reason is that the jackpot starts at $40 million whenever someone his the winning combination.
Another reason for why the Powerball is the most played lottery in the world, is that top jackpots frequently climb above $100 million. This has become a routine since early 2012 when lottery officials decided to double the price of a lottery ticket. The number of tickets sold decreased sharply in the first two months, but sales picked up eventually and the lottery now has even more players and before.
