Kentycky will also be applying changes on the Powerball lottery game,  the one-dollar Powerball ticket will soon be a thing of the past.

After the first of the year a Powerball ticket will cost $2 instead of $1. “There are some changes coming to the Powerball game in January,” says lottery spokesman Chip Polston, “where Powerball is going to become a $2 game that we really hope is going to spur those larger jackpots that players really like to play.”

That is, however just one of the changes at the lottery to try to increase sales. Another change are the newnew blue vending machines in retail stores across the state, that customers may have already noticed. 400 new machines are already in place with perhaps 200 more to come. Lottery checker

The new machines have it all and allow players to purchase from online gaming tickets to  scratch-offs, Powerball, Mega Millions, Pick 3, Pick 4, and many other games.  You can simply buy the tickets of your preferred game from the machine instead of waiting in line.  It allows an easier flow and you do not need to compromise too much of your time in doing so.

The response from the public has been possitive. Charlie Bell, a regular lottery player, is a fan of the new machines. “They keep from holding you up in a long line,” he says. “You can go up and play your numbers, so I think they are really convenient and I like them.”

The lottery hopes the new machines will increase sales, which were down slightly last fiscal year from the previous year, but are up again the first two months of this fiscal year. “Our overall sales so far for the year are a little higher than where we were last year,” says Polston, “but we are lower than our budget and where we want to be at this point in the year.”

Polston says for the first time the lottery has its new vending machines in one of the so-called big box stores where more potential customers can be found. Adds Polston, “They have so much to take care of, they cannot take care of lottery sales at their stores, so we launched just a couple of weeks ago a program with K-Mart in Kentucky where its going to have 29 of these machines all across the state.”

Polston says the lottery hopes to get the new machines in other big box stores like Wal-Mart. These machines however do not dispense winnings. Winners will still have to go the store counter to collect their prizes. Lottery winning numbers