States begin offering Mega Millions, Powerball tix

(AP) — Dozens of states have begun selling Powerball and Mega Millions tickets in what could be a step toward an eventual national lottery.

Margaret DeFrancisco, co-chair of a committee for both lotteries and president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corp., says tickets for both games began selling on Sunday.

Twenty-three of the 33 jurisdictions where Powerball has been played are now selling tickets for the Mega Millions drawing on Feb. 2. Ten of the 12 states where Mega Millions has been played are selling tickets for the Feb. 3 Powerball drawing.

DeFrancisco says lottery officials want to see how cross-selling goes before focusing on establishing a national lottery, which they hope to have running by spring 2011.