WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Lotto players will get Mega Millions early next year

Lotto players will get Mega Millions early next year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Starting early next year, Powerball won't be the only game in town that could have a $300 million jackpot.

By a unanimous vote Monday afternoon, the Tennessee Lottery Board approved a second multi-state game called Mega Millions.

It's known for luring occasional players for those once-a-year jackpots worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Players could expect Mega Millions to be ready in Tennessee by early 2010 or "as soon as possible," according to Lottery CEO Rebecca Paul Hargrove.

Hargrove said during the board meeting Monday that she may know more about an exact start date within a week or two.

Since the state lottery began nearly six years ago, Tennessee by contract could not offer Mega Millions if it signed up offer Powerball, which it did in April of 2004.

"I think we all give ourselves a round of applause because we see more dollars for education," Lottery Board Chair Jim Hill said after the unanimous Mega Millions vote.

It followed questioning of Lottery CEO Rebecca Paul Hargrove by board members who wanted to know about estimates to the bottom line of raising money for Tennessee education programs that mainly include college scholarships.

"We are confident that we will have $10 to 15 million...if not more," said Hargrove, who has been the only CEO of the lottery in its short existence.

Until a month ago, states that sold Powerball could not sell Mega Millions and vice versa, then those in charge of the lotteries began talking about co-existing to boost overall sales.

Hargrove was one of those pushing for both Powerball and Mega Million states to co-exist instead of always competing against each other.

"It took about three years to get everybody to agree to work together," she said.

At Cardwell's Market on Rutledge Hill near downtown, regular lotto player Stephanie Hammonds said she "can't wait to play Mega Millions everyday, just like Powerball."

It's that kind of lure for potential lottery riches that has pumped about $1.5 billion into Tennessee education over nearly six years.

Hammonds, though, said she is still waiting to win one of those big jackpots.

The Mega Millions game held its first drawing in September 1996 with only six states participating.  Twelve states currently have Mega Millions.

In 2007, the game set a record for the largest jackpot in North America, at $390 million.

Read more about the Tennessee Lottery at TNLottery.com.