The Rort that is Lotto

Every week Lotto guarantees a $4 million Powerball prize.  Every week Lotto guarantees a $1 million First division.  Every Wednesday lotto guarantees a top prize of $3.5 million.  That is every week. That means they have a budget to set prizes to divide out. Every week!!

Before I get onto the rort, I'll explain the Jackpot catchphrase.  A jackpot is a prize that increases exponentially each time the top prize is not struck.  Let's say Lotto First Division wasn't struck, the $1 million should roll over to the next week added to the normal prize.

But in the other two forms, Powerball and Big Wednesday, this doesn't happen.  When Big Wednesday jackpots, the prize is not increased by the starting prize size, instead it accumulates by $500k a week.  And Powerball is even more helter skelter.  The prize does not jackpot by $4 million each week, but by various amounts between $1 million and $3 million. Remember, Lotto GUARANTEE a weekly prize pool, so ergo that prize is available every week, jackpot or not.

Starting to get my drift?  The term jackpot is loosely used by Lotto and the ones missing out are the ones that buy a ticket each week.  But even more disturbing, where is that "lost"  prize-money going that's not being put up as a prize?  Lotto profits?  Government levies?  Community Grants?  Well maybe all three but what is certain, the winning ticket is missing out on larger guaranteed income.