The Multi-State Lottery Association says it wants to give people a chance to win a big Powerball jackpot. However, because there have been about a dozen winners during Powerball's current fiscal year, which ends June 30, the lottery association has taken action to make winning less likely.

The lottery association is party to a major contradiction.

For the multi-state lottery, a $10 million or $20 million jackpot is pocket change; the association says such a "pittance" doesn't encourage some people to play, thus profits suffer.

Therefore, the 29 lotteries that are part of Powerball, including Pennsylvania's, have decided to decrease the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot to 1 in 146.1 million from the current 1 in 120.5 million.

The change, which will involve increasing the first pool of numbers in the game to 55 from 53, will go into effect Aug. 29. The separate Powerball pool of numbers from 1 to 42 will not be affected.

To try to lure players, despite the worse odds, Powerball's gurus have deemed that, once the additional numbers are added, the top prize will grow by no less than $5 million between each drawing. In addition, there will be a doubling of the prize - to $200,000 from $100,000 - for players who match all of the numbers drawn in the first pool but miss the Powerball.

But just because there have been several more winners this year than what Powerball officials had hoped for was no justification for the latest change. The 53-number pool had produced a small-enough number of winners to keep the jackpots at an interesting level.