California Lottery cancels 'Make Me a Millionaire'

California Lottery cancels 'Make Me a Millionaire'

By Peter Hecht

Published: Wednesday, May. 5, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 5, 2010 - 8:15 am

The television game show that made Snow White a multimillionaire is going off the air.

California Lottery officials are canceling the lottery's weekly "Make Me a Millionaire" game, citing poor ratings. The last episode is July 3.

Launched in January 2009, "Make Me a Millionaire" was supposed to be a lively, entertaining promotion for the state lottery. It replaced "The Big Spin" program, which lasted for more than 20 years.

Last August, Natalie Marston, 22, who plays Snow White at Disneyland, won the show's record jackpot of $5.2 million.

But "Make Me a Millionaire" also was a source of embarrassment for lottery officials, when contestants were accidentally prevented from vying for millions of dollars in February 2009.

Ultimately, just as New Coke flopped because consumers preferred the original, "Make Me a Millionaire" didn't prove as popular as "The Big Spin."

"There is this core audience that really, really liked 'The Big Spin,' " lottery spokesman Alex Traverso said of the former program, in which holders of lottery Scratcher tickets played for top prizes of $3 million.

"We thought we could update that with a new show. And it just didn't happen."

Traverso said "Make Me a Millionaire" was losing money and wasn't worth the annual $22.7 million the lottery was spending to air the program statewide. It airs in Sacramento at 6 p.m. Saturdays on Fox 40.

"We're in the business of making money," Traverso said. "It is not helping us maximize our revenues for education."

There are no plans to bring back "The Big Spin." Traverso said lottery officials will put money spent producing "Make Me a Millionaire" into prizes for Scratcher games.

The demise of the "Millionaire" game seemed to underscore frustrations over the state lottery.

Schools in recent years have received $1.1 billion annually in lottery funds. Yet among the 10 most populous lottery states, California ranks last or near the bottom in prizes, sales and profits.

Voters last year rejected a special-election measure that would have allowed the state to borrow $5 billion in future revenues from a revamped lottery that offered bigger prizes to generate more sales.

But "Make Me a Millionaire" had other troubles.

After a Feb. 8, 2009, taping, it was discovered that names on contestant forms were transposed. As a result, nine contestants played for more money they were eligible to win and nine played for less.

After Josefina Sineriz, 61, of Bakersfield won $2.8 million in a progressive jackpot, lottery officials realized other contestants should have been eligible for the big prize draw.

The lottery ultimately paid $264,000 in winnings to nine players who were allowed to participate in a future draw.

Traverso said consumers can purchase "Make Me a Millionaire" Scratcher tickets until June 30.

"Even though the show is going off the air, people will still have the opportunity to play the games and win prizes," he said.


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tanyaaa wrote on 05/05/2010 08:28:08 AM:

we have the lowest rating becuase we have the crappiest odds. i NEVER EVER won when I bought scratchers. EVER. and what's insulting, is the lottery will tease you with 'near misses' on every single ticket. i got so disgusted i quit playing.

How do Obama comments come in to every single article in the Bee?
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awr17 wrote on 05/05/2010 08:26:28 AM:

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. bring back the big spin and get on with it already. slash some of the scatcher games that you have and stick with maybe 5 of them. i go to the gas station and see about 15 different scratchers. have 1 that is $2, 1 that is $3 and the rest $1 scratchers. they are wasting their money creating so many different ones, and i agree with a previous post, it dilutes the winnings. have less scratchers, with better odds of winning, you will see your profits go back up.
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mkramer1013 wrote on 05/05/2010 08:17:57 AM:
Replying to ExLibraryCop (05/05/2010 01:01:07 AM):
"The California lottery is a tax on stupid people. Your odds of winning the big jackpots are about the same as finding a million dollars in the street or being struck by lightning. The poor and under educated play the lottery, smoke cigarettes and vote for Obama.":

That is a stupid comment, the most educated and affluent people in the state live in the LIBERAL and AFFLUENT Bay Area...They voted for Obama. Now, the least educated poorest population in the state is area between Stockton and Bakersfield....Who do most of those people vote for? Republicans.... Are you for real? Poor people vote against their own interests and uneducated people fall for Sarah Palin's simpleton comments.
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narkman wrote on 05/05/2010 08:13:45 AM:
Replying to quizas (05/05/2010 07:10:30 AM):
"The Lottery is the American Dream of winning BIG. You don't have to play if you don't want to, but stop dissing those that want to spend a dollar on a chance of a lifetime. We were lucky enough to go on The Big Spin, back in '79, and won $20K. It was enough to put a down payment on our first home. ~ I would like to see more of the funds going to the schools, however, and not the administrators!":

Hm, I doubt you won $20K back in '79 considering the show first aired in 1985.
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Alittletotheright wrote on 05/05/2010 08:01:13 AM:
Replying to quizas (05/05/2010 07:10:30 AM):
"The Lottery is the American Dream of winning BIG. You don't have to play if you don't want to, but stop dissing those that want to spend a dollar on a chance of a lifetime. We were lucky enough to go on The Big Spin, back in '79, and won $20K. It was enough to put a down payment on our first home. ~ I would like to see more of the funds going to the schools, however, and not the administrators!":

The solution you have to this problem will not work. Everyone is wanting better accountability for the money that is going to schools and admin to take pay cuts. Guess what will happen then? They will go somewhere else that pays what they want. Pay admin small amounts and you will get low pay quality administrators. Then you are back to where you started.
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Paris2006 wrote on 05/05/2010 07:59:18 AM:

When you can waste your money in a Las Vegas-style Indian casino, why waste it on a blah-and-boring State Lottery?
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twods4ever wrote on 05/05/2010 07:28:56 AM:

If you actually looked at the odds on some of those small payout scratchers you probably wouldn't play. The odds of winning the top prize of $500 in the hot chile tripler game is one in 480,000. Those odds make no sense. Most gamblers have figured this out and go to the casinos where the odds are more in your favor.
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quizas wrote on 05/05/2010 07:14:29 AM:

This show lasted way too long. It was set up for failure (for contestants)from the start. Why not bring back The Big Spin? 20 years of success should tell you something. People had a real chance at winning some money...and that's what it's all about.
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jkblues wrote on 05/05/2010 07:13:57 AM:

So why do we have a problem with paying for public education in California when the Lottery was created to provide part of the funding? Where's the money going? It is time for you to ask your Legislators for accountability from the Lottery!
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quizas wrote on 05/05/2010 07:10:30 AM:

The Lottery is the American Dream of winning BIG. You don't have to play if you don't want to, but stop dissing those that want to spend a dollar on a chance of a lifetime. We were lucky enough to go on The Big Spin, back in '79, and won $20K. It was enough to put a down payment on our first home. ~ I would like to see more of the funds going to the schools, however, and not the administrators!
R