Public Gaming Magazine January/February 2016

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56 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // January/February 2016
PUBLIC GAMING
INTERVIEWS
Gary GRIEF
Executive Director, Texas Lottery
Chair of the Powerball Group
Paul Jason, PGRI: The $1.5 billion
Powerball Jackpot is a singularly huge event
for the entire industry. What are some of the
implications of this for the U.S. Lotteries
going forward?
Gary Grief: This incredible Powerball
jackpot run has delivered positive results
to the lottery industry on several levels.
Obviously the sales and revenue are
top of mind. From the last time the
Powerball jackpot was won on No-
vember 4, 2015 to the drawing for the
world record-setting advertised jackpot
of $1.5 billion on January 13, 2016,
Powerball jurisdictions nationwide sold
more than $3.3 billion in Powerball
tickets. More importantly, more than
$1.3 billion in additional revenue was
generated nationwide for good causes
like public education, scholarships, the
environment, and assistance to veterans
and senior citizens. Three lucky winners
in Florida, Tennessee and California
will soon be coming forward to claim
their share of the almost $1.6 billion
jackpot that was calculated by the time
the drawing occurred, and a record 81
additional millionaires were made last
Wednesday night alone by virtue of
them winning second prizes in the Pow-
erball drawing.
How does the publicity that surrounded the
run-up to this huge jackpot impact the Brand
Value of Powerball, and Lottery in general?
Wouldn’t it attract the attention and interest
of new consumer groups?
G. Grief: Absolutely. We made criti-
cal gains in the younger demographic
by virtue of this incredible jackpot that
grabbed the nation’s attention. 20 and
PGRI Introduction: Powerball is sold in 47 jurisdictions. It is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (www.
) for the benefit of its members and the states that license the right to sell Powerball. On the drawing of
Wednesday, January 13, the Jackpot that rose to over $1.58 billion dollars was won by three people with the winning
ticket. The tickets were bought in stores in Munford, Tennessee, Chino Hills, California, and Melbourne Beach, Florida.
The winner in Tennessee has already stepped forward to claim his portion ($528.8) of the Jackpot. The January 13
draw alone saw an additional 26,110,643 win smaller jackpots totaling more than $273.9 Million.
This is a singularly momentous event for the industry. Gary Grief is not only the current Chair of the Powerball Group,
he is a past president of the North American State and Provincial Lottery Association (NASPL), has been with the
Texas Lottery since its inception in 1992, and was appointed to lead the Lottery in 2010. We appreciate him taking
a few minutes out of an extraordinarily busy time (this interview was done January 14, the day after the Powerball
Jackpot was won!), and congratulate Director Grief and all the Powerball Lottery Directors for their stewardship of this
flagship brand.
Continued on page 59