“Mega Millions” Lottery Tickets To Go On Sale As Planned

Sacramento, CA — California lottery officials say the state will go ahead with plans to join the huge “Mega Millions” lottery next week despite a recent legal opinion that suggests the multi-million dollar jackpot game violates state law.

Officials say tickets will go on sale Wednesday as initially planned. The state lottery commission voted in February to join eleven other states in the lottery in an effort increase ticket sales and raise more money for schools.

However an opinion issued by the Legislature´s Legal Counsel says the game is illegal in California because it involves ticket sales in other states, which implies authority that the California lottery commission doesn´t have under the ballot measure that created the California lottery in 1984.

However officials with the lottery commission say the idea of joining the multi-state game has been studied for two years, and the commission has done everything right.