LANSING, April 27, 2000 – Lottery officials from The Big Game today introduced a big new resource for media representatives and players who want information about this seven-state lottery jackpot game: www.theofficialbiggame.com, a Web site to serve as a clearinghouse of information about the mega-jackpot game! The timing is perfect, with Friday’s (April 28) jackpot now at an incredible $105 million!

"We feel it’s important that the media who cover lotteries and gaming have a central location to visit for information about The Big Game," said Virginia Lottery Director Penny Kyle. "We want this site to be a useful tool for them, as well as for our players."

This easy-to-navigate site, www.theofficialbiggame.com, offers visitors a variety of detailed information including a secured area for the media at which they can access a high-definition logo library for print and television use; newsletter and winning number mail registration; promotional winner photos; and contact information for each state.

"We’re excited about The Big Game Web site!" said Georgia Lottery Corp. President Rebecca Paul. "Our goal was to design a site that makes The Big Game more accessible to the media, while being informative to players and the public; I think we’ve achieved exactly that."

In addition, this Web site offers a searchable database of drawing results so players can determine whether they’ve won; number analysis to see how frequently certain numbers are drawn; a "frequently asked questions" section relative to each state’s lottery rules and procedures; an on-line tutorial showing how to play The Big Game; and links to each participating lottery’s homepage.

About The Big Game. Lotteries in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
New Jersey and Virginia are participants in The Big Game, which debuted with its first drawing on September 6, 1996.

The Big Game has a matrix of 5/50 + 1/36. Players choose five numbers from a field of 50 as well as one additional number from a field of 36 numbers; that constitutes one wager and costs $1. Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday and Friday.

The starting minimum jackpot is $5 million, and there are nine ways to win a cash prize, ranging from $1 all the way to the jackpot! To date, the game’s record jackpot is $197 million, which was claimed by one winning ticket belonging to Boston’s Maria Grasso. Since the game’s debut, every Big Game state has had at least one jackpot winner.

About The Big Game Members. Detailed information about each member state can be found at www.theofficialbiggame.com, but following are some highlights: