Why Winning the Powerball Jackpot Just Got a Little Harder

Your dreams of hitting it big on the lottery just got worse: from 1 in 175,223,510 to 1 in 292,201,338, to be precise. What’s worse for lottery aficionados? Jackpots will pay out far smaller sums than the record $590.5 million in 2013.

In fact, it’s more likely—a 1 in 92 chance—that you’ll win just $4.

The New York State Gaming Commission, which oversees the Multi-State Lottery Association, decided Monday to change rules to make the lottery more self-supporting. The portion of money being allocated to jackpots will go form 68% of the Gaming Commission’s total budget to 64%.

The Gaming Commission plans on setting these new odds by increasing the numbers to choose from in the first set from 59 to 69 and decreasing the numbers to choose from in the second set from 35 to 26. (Playing the Powerball requires a person to choose five numbers from the first set and one number from the second set.)

Part of the reason for the change is the fact that more than 36 states participate in the lottery, creating a huge jackpot that was making it unsustainable for the Gaming Commission to continue as is. Additionally, the Powerball itself is on the decline: Lottery ticket sales dipped 19% in 2014, a year which also didn’t see a huge jackpot.

The new odds will begin on Oct. 4 in time for the Oct. 7 drawing.