Media Advisory
August 24, 2007
Contact: Keith Whyte
202.547.9204 or 703.980.2140
High Jackpots Are Responsible Gaming Opportunity
Washington, D.C. State lotteries and broadcast media are asked to incorporate responsible
gaming messaging and the National Problem Gambling Helpline (800.522.4700) into their
promotion and coverage of this week’s Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots.
The National Problem Gambling Helpline (800.522.4700) is the single national point of access
for problem gambling help. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in all 50 states.
All calls are confidential and will be routed to a call center with information and referral options
for problem gamblers and their families. Last year the Helpline received 246,000 calls, an
average of one call every two minutes.
Responsible gaming messages are designed to help adults make informed decisions about their
play. One important concept is to help gamblers understand the chances of winning so that they
understand that playing the lottery to win money is a terrible investment. For example, the odds
to win Powerball are approximately 1 in 146,000,000. Numbers like this are hard to visualize, so
try these comparisons1:

If you buy 50 tickets a week, you will win the jackpot on the average of about once every
45,000 years.

If you buy one ticket every time you drive a mile, you will have to drive an average
distance equal to about 300 trips to the moon before you win a jackpot.

Your odds of dying by spider bite in a given year (592,000 to 1) are almost 300 times
greater than your odds of winning the jackpot.
So remember, money spent playing the lottery is unlikely to be returned in prizes, and therefore
players should never spend more than they can afford to lose.
The NCPG is the national advocate for programs and services to assist problem gamblers and
their families. As an advocate for problem gamblers, NCPG does not take a position for or
against gambling, but concentrates on the goal of helping those with gambling problems.
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Adapted from What Are the Odds? by Mike Orkin (2000) and Life: The Odds by Gregory Baer (2003)