Odds in our favor

Texas Lottery odds are back in Houstonist’s favor, and we're loving it!

The Texas Lottery voted yesterday to return to the original format of the game, where participants select six numbers instead of five and a bonus ball. The odds in the current game format are 1 in 47.8 million; when the format changes in April, they'll be 1 in 25.8 million. Lottery officials originally changed the format to help boost ticket sales, but now, people are buying less lotto tickets than before. Texas Lottery Commission head C. Thomas Clowe blames the less-than-stellar sales on casinos in nearby states and the increase in popularity of online gambling.

In an effort to build bigger jackpots faster and attract more players, the commission said it'll commit a higher percentage of sales to the game and decrease payouts for players who match less numbers. In making its decisions, the commission reportedly considered everything from the range of numbers to keeping the balance of contributing enough to the Foundation School Fund while paying players enough to be interested in the game.

Houstonist is totally down for the better odds. Even if we're on the losing end of our next scratch-off ticket, we know the money is going to a good place — even if it's not our wallet.