11.06.09 Update: Now just hold everything!

Arkansans bought Over $1M in Powerball tickets for the first drawing. Powerball paid out to Arkansans $98,832 in winnings. That sets the EV (Expected Value) of a powerball ticket at no better than 9.8%. So based on the last drawing, for every dollar you spend on a Powerball ticket you can expect to get roughly 9.8 cents back!

Let's compare that to the EV of the scratchers.

• 3 Times Lucky (59.6%)
• Money Bags (59%)
• Arkansas Riches (63.3%)
• Jumbo Bucks (65%)
• Money Madness (62.3%)
• Crazy 8's (62.6%)
• $100,000 Cash Bonanza (68.8%)
• $uper 7s (68.3%)
• POWERBALL (9.8%)

Digest that the next time you are in line to buy a Powerball ticket. Again the smart thing is to organize a Powerball club. Smaller individual risk, smaller return, but more chances to win. My little club is on track to purchase 50 tickets (with power play) for this Saturday's drawing.

SO why a hold on every scratcher? Because this is the time when you should hold your money in antici.... (SAY IT!) pation for the new scratcher release. A Christmas themed release with 3 of the four scratchers following suit. The scratcher that does not have a Christmas theme will be Arkansas' first $10 scratcher, Top Prize $500,000! I WILL be breaking down the numbers all weekend, and give you my detailed recommendation on Monday. Until then the smart money says "save me"!

Update 11.04.09: Cooldown, new scratchers, and POWERBALL

A reminder, KARK Channel 4 (anyone else miss Roy Mitchell?) will be your local POWERBALL station. It will broadcast the POWERBALL drawing tonight at 9:59PM so turn in if you have a ticket, as Arkansas is dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century!

Money Madness? Had a hot spot Monday and Tuesday? Cooled down quickly. No hot spots currently on the board and it's recommendation is back down to MILD BUY. Crazy 8's $500 tier is now a COLD SPOT. Ignore this card! Everything else is holding right where they usually are.

That won't last for long however, as shortly everything will go to HOLD for the new scratchers. If Der Arkansas Lottery goes along with form, I will get the numbers Friday, they will release the cards Tuesday, and you can actually buy them in the stores, oh sometime around 2010 (no, probably later in the day, we'll see). OF COURSE don't buy a scratcher until you see the numbers here! It's just smart!

Good luck with POWERBALL tonight folks, $66M prize ($33.5M Cash Option) I have one ticket, because one is all I need ;)

11.02.09: Recharges and a new HOT SPOT!

Went to the river for the Arkansas Lottery Powerball party. Neat little time, a little music, some food (did not partake in), and if you bought $5 in scratchers you got a spin on a prize wheel. I bought $5 spun and won a $5 scratcher ($100,000 Cash Bonanza) and wound up winning $20. Plus three handfuls of those little red lottery scrapers. Funtime, remember that the first Arkansas Powerball drawing is this Wednesday, estimated jackpot is $66M.

Friday I should get the numbers for the new scratchers that are going to be introduced next Tuesday (Nov 10th) I will publish those numbers just as soon as I can. As for our current fleet, The $1 Money Bags ticket has been recharged. I still cannot endorse any of the two $1 offerings out there, but I have raised the recommendation for this scratcher from IGNORE to DON'T BUY. The $2 Money Madness ticket has developed a $1,000 HOT SPOT, lots of those prizes available and that raises it's recommendation from MILD BUY to BUY. The $2 Jumbo Bucks is still leading the recommendations with a STRONG BUY. A winner has stepped forward for the $5 $100,000 Cash Bonanza top prize. So that card goes down to MILD BUY. It's cousin the $5 $uper 7s scratcher is up to a BUY from a MILD BUY. It's top prize is getting warmer.

As always remember to play the lottery for entertainment only, if you HAVE to win you HAVE to stop, contact your local gambler's anonymous.