Arkansas prepares for Powerball launch with party

Powerball's launch in Arkansas may feel more like New Year's Eve than Halloween with a party in Little Rock marking the start of ticket sales Saturday night.

The party in the city's River Market district will feature a countdown and a giant ball dropping at 10:15 p.m., when the state begins ticket sales for Wednesday night's draw.

Arkansas Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue said he doesn't know whether the holiday will affect turnout. When the state launched its lottery with the start of scratch-off ticket sales on Sept. 28, customers lined up at stores around the state to buy tickets at midnight.

"It's a novelty for a lot of folks," Passailaigue said. "We're talking about a Saturday evening on Halloween, so we really don't know what to expect."

With Saturday's launch, Arkansas becomes the 31st state to offer Powerball, along with the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. It joins Powerball as that game is talking to the consortium behind Mega Millions about cross-selling tickets and potentially forming a national lottery.

Passailaigue, the former chairman of the Powerball group, said he thinks that combination would bring even more money to Arkansas.

"You're going to generate jackpots that are going to generate half a billion dollars or more," he said. "My take on it is that would be for those people who like the large jackpot games."

Lottery officials expect Powerball to generate $58 million of $400 million in lottery ticket sales expected in the games' first year. A preliminary budget presented to the lottery commission predicted the games would net $100 million for college scholarships.

Voters last year approved an amendment authorizing the lottery to raise money for the scholarships, and lawmakers will decide next year what amounts to set for the scholarships.

Sen. David Johnson, co-chairman of the lottery's legislative oversight committee, said the panel will make recommendations on amounts for the scholarships before the next legislative session starts in February.

"I'm glad people are excited about Powerball," Johnson said. "I'm going to be interested in seeing how much this will raise for college scholarships."