John Martin tells Nestor about the newest games and big winners early in the New Year and explains the history of Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot games. Oh, and those lucky Ravens scratch-off winners who might be going to the AFC Championship Game to pass for Maryland Lottery cash.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
people, baltimore, powerball, maryland, game, years, lottery, mega millions, john, week, ravens, play, ticket, numbers, michigan, thinking, promotion, state, winner, cleveland browns
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, John Martin
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Welcome home we are wn S T and 5070, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive we are into a New Year. Happy New Year to everyone out there celebrating. I must say we’re putting the Maryland crabcake tour on a slight hiatus here due to purple fairy dust and Festivus going on around here. But we are planning, the biggest promotion we’ve ever done with our partners at the Maryland lottery still have a handful of Oh snaps and a peppermint payouts on rapid cash. There are new scratch offs coming but I’ll still have these and they’ll still be good. On February 5, we kick off our and I’m going to I’m going to name it right now. Just a John Martin from the Maryland crab cake row. And for those of you who don’t know, we go into the soup bowl for the last three decades. This time we’re going to we’re going to keep it local, it’s got a great cause got a great spirit. And I don’t know that Lamar Jackson is going to be there. I don’t know that we’re going to have passed for cash and an AFC Championship game here in Baltimore. But I know two things John Martin have happened since the new year has rung in one way or the number one seed and it’s coming through here as they would say in professional wrestling. The other part of it is Hey, Joe Flacco Cleveland. Have you gotten your 15 you get a white or the brown Are you going with the dog biscuit orange I’m trying to figure it all out because the Cleveland Browns are gonna be playing some football next week. Wow, I know how did that happen from Listen, I don’t people think like you want to come on the radio we hang out like I know you a little bit. But man when last week when you started naming every starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns through the mid 80s. And I only want to take you back before costar to like Douglas and all the ones that aren’t modell used to say out of those guys. Hey, speak
John Martin 01:42
speaking events. And since you started since you opened the door, and I will kick it off first of all, but Happy New Year to you. Frank Ryan, Dr. Frank Ryan passed away a couple of days ago. Really? Oh. And of course people in Baltimore should all have those of a certain age should have a fun place in the heart for Frank Ryan 27 to nothing 1964 NFL champions. I,
Nestor J. Aparicio 02:11
you know, Stedman schooled me up on all of this. And I and I’m not here to rub this in because you are in the playoffs with our quarterback and I almost I’m rooting for you so, so nice. I you know, I almost said I like your work that in their rage man, I have been sending Good luck, thanks to Joe Flacco. And I mean it so but but I’ll say this. I was talking to Luke about this this week. And last week, you sort of went through passper cache and we’re talking about things, New Years, and it’s Christmas. And I’m, you know, I want to say I’m half paying attention. But I started thinking about this, these playoff games, the lottery is involved in this, these winners get to throw in playoff games that may or may not happen last week. Now they’re happening and all they do is win one and there’ll be two, but the AFC Championship part of this in the game in Baltimore, and I said, Look, I’ve been to a lot of AFC Championship games I’m thinking about like, in the 90s I used to go every year I was in Green Bay when Brett Farve one I was I was in Minnesota and Brian Billick lost and the dirty birds dance. So I’ve been to a bunch of them. But my the one I remembered and forgotten was I was at the drive game, the LA drive game in Cleveland. It was my first AFC Championship game. And I’m thinking to myself, You, you and the lions, I don’t know how America can’t at least want you to win one playoff game. You know what I mean? At least next weekend, right? I mean, they’re there in Baltimore. John, we really are. There are
John Martin 03:34
generations plural generations of fans who do not realize in the 1950s you can look it up not right now because Nestor and I are on a roll here after after we’re done you can look it up the the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns played multiple times in the 50s and ping pong did back and forth for the NFL Championship at that pine time pre Super Bowl the world’s championship if you will, for
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:02
look it up in the fifth greatest game ever played was played and they started.
John Martin 04:06
That’s right. All those things happen. Hey, you know what else is going to happen because you’re
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:10
gonna happen because it’s new year you want to You’re the king of segway when we get together go
John Martin 04:14
down to know you. You talked about so wrap up the Ravens we had our last drawing for the last two people. We now have six finalists for our 20 years tickets for life. Promotional the wrap up after the season. So we are welcoming Victoria bird from Hanover, Maryland, and John Cairney from Forest Hill, Maryland. So those two will join the four previous finalists, and those six folks will come down to m&t Bank Stadium at a date to be determined and one of them will win ravens season tickets for 20 years. They’ve all won like a lot of money already right for them. 10 grand 10 will spin in cash. Well, I
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:58
mean, Super Bowl tickets might be that much. So you know, hey, we’re getting into this for the past for cash. Yes winners for that as well, right? Yeah,
John Martin 05:06
we have we have four people. So we’re anticipating two games here in Baltimore, and four and I don’t know the order. So I’ll just name all four people because I don’t know which two are coming for the first game, which should
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:17
be gone next week to figure this out. Because whoever too they don’t pass in the first game. They’re gonna have extra stakes in winning. Right? Oh, yeah. I mean, not only that, they get to go to the game. They can go to the AFC Championship game.
05:32
Yeah, yep. Yep. Yeah, there’s a lot I
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:35
would need to know who the two people that are that need the ravens to win I need to know who these people
John Martin 05:40
are. Okay. So John Beal from Middletown and Danielle a depth for from Severn Wendy la sinskey. from Pasadena and Janet Mayo from Frederick. So those four people have been selected for past for cash two will be on the game one and two will be on the game to game
Nestor J. Aparicio 06:02
to watch on game to watch it show Flacco comes in here in that first game. I know. There’s some interesting radio here the week of the 15th I would say you know or the second
John Martin 06:11
you don’t know. I mean, that’s the beauty of it. You just don’t know what what the the crazy NFL
Nestor J. Aparicio 06:17
gods were. Here’s my segway. It’s kind of like getting a lottery ticket. You just never know. I’m pretty good. That’s
John Martin 06:23
that’s better than pretty good. Because this last weekend, you know, we had an $842 million Powerball winner in the state of Michigan. Excuse me. I’m born and bred in Ohio. So it’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 06:35
a Michigan that they’re having, and they’re having themselves a week are dying. I mean, literally, literally, to watch that game. Did you watch? You mentioned the lions are in the playoffs too, right. So like, Man, I watch that game. And you know, I’ve known. I’ve said a lot about John Harbaugh. lately. I’ve known Jim 10 years longer. I mean, we share the quarterback here. You know, I have a fondness for Jim, in a way that television. You know, I don’t like him on TV. You know what I mean? When he’s when he’s blown off the announcer getting off the podium and not answering. Like I don’t like that part of him. But I liked the gym that I knew here 30 years ago was the quarterback who was Captain comeback and all that he’s taken on a whole different persona in Michigan, but Michigan Winner winner will see on Monday state of Washington, they’re going to become that kick back. But
John Martin 07:21
we didn’t have our own winner not for the grand prize in the Powerball sweepstakes. They’re not the $842.4 million jackpot, but a million dollar winner in Prince George’s County one, which means when you win the million that means you had all five of the numbers, but you did not get the Powerball. So how is that how you see that? Like,
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:47
in the old days, we would sit and like watch the numbers come on. Now. I think we’re in an online world where people check it, you know what I mean? So they’re not sitting there like 821? You know, in their day? No. They could, you know, but not everybody does. You must admit that would be a smaller percentage these days, even when it’s 800. Even my wife buys tickets, she goes to bed if I mean it would take the miracle we’d be up in the morning and you’d be sending me texting someone in Maryland one they bought it at the Royal farms will provident truck, and we’d like you know, sure. My wife is not objecting, but that is it’s heartbreaking. But it’s also heartwarming. They got a million bucks, right? Oh, yeah,
John Martin 08:26
yeah, now they’ve they’ve not yet come forward, they have 182 days from from January 1. So I hope they’re doing the right thing. Now we hope that they’re getting their financial affairs in order they’re getting the right consultation and, and guidance from I just
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:40
love when people in Prince George’s County have to drive to Baltimore and visit you because I want everybody to come to Baltimore and visit you know,
John Martin 08:46
well, you know, I think a lot of people will make that trek if they knew they had a million dollars waiting for them on the other end, and a purple bow to take
Nestor J. Aparicio 08:52
some pictures or maybe even a burgundy and gold when if they want John Martin is here. He’s the Executive Director of all things Maryland lottery, he comes on and we have some fun, and we talk about the lottery, all the good things it does in the money it generates and the responsibility. And please do all of this. I mean, especially the Ravens of the playoffs, please do everything we’re doing here very very responsibly as we entered the New Year, we got more winners but you also have different games I’m I’m you’re holding up fun peppermint payouts and things that make me want to go back and eat all the Christmas cookies that and plenty of Christmas cookies. But New Year new games, you have different stuff happening here. And sadly, we’re not into the 50th anniversary, although I’m still holding on to 25 As long as I can. I’ll hold on to it. But you have like a whole new thing happening here in 2020. We have lots
John Martin 09:35
of new things. And that’s the beauty of turning the page and getting into a new calendar literally and figuratively is New Beginnings right and new beginnings mean new scratch offs. And on the scratch off front. We just introduced five new games last week, so they’re still fresh. Still in there fresh wrappers. We have a let’s do this in dollar value, and then number the $1 ticket fast roll, top prize $1,000 We have a $3 ticket that’s very interesting. It’s called Lotteria. And it’s been the old Lotteria the lottery a game it’s quite a history there. It’s very very popular in Mexico and other Latin countries and Hispanic countries. And it is a very unique game style but $3 price point and we’ve we had it before here in the state of Maryland, so we we hope people
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:31
I’m gonna ask Rasta to give me those since I’m Hispanic and we’re gonna you know, I’ll have some fun given those out. So yeah, there you go. I like that. $25
John Martin 10:39
price $5 ticket. I don’t know we call it just $1 sign. It’s like, you know, when Prince had that, that funky thing. And what did you call him? You called him it was the symbol. The symbol, okay, artists formerly known as the sim. Okay, well, the $5 ticket formerly known as a $5, ticket. Top prize $50,000. We have a $10 money drop ticket, top prize $100,000 and a $30 200 times the cash top prize. $2 million, or Scratch? Scratch offs. Yeah, imagine that. Wow. The lots of lots of new games coming up in on on display now at your lot of retailers. But we also have a new promotion. And we don’t do these things very often. But this is something that no one in the lottery industry has done. So we’re kind of trying something here for the first time. It is a jackpot, reset promotion. And thankfully, when the Powerball was hit on January 1, it allowed us to kick this off. So what it means is, for the next two weeks from now through January 16, anytime you buy a Powerball ticket, which was the Powerball was just hit, so it’s going to start and reset it. It’s 20 million darlin
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:58
wife’s not buying until it gets to 100 million, but go ahead and hang on. Because
John Martin 12:03
Because Mega Millions is, as you mentioned, that is 100 and 140. So Mega Millions 140. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:12
she she needs three digits, you know what I mean? You know what I mean? Like, it’s just where we are, you know,
John Martin 12:17
well then tell her about this promotion because she when she buys a $2 Powerball ticket on a random basis, she may get rewarded with a Mega Millions ticket, which is for the higher jackpot.
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:32
Okay, so, two different brandings Can you tell me anything historically about the difference? Sure. Our ball came first here, I believe. I remember, like people would go to Pennsylvania when there weren’t there wasn’t that here, like going up to that poor ice place in Shrewsbury? Like literally, I remember all this as a kid. Yeah. And Powerball came then Mega Millions. What’s the difference between because we always see them in the window and I’m thinking, is that like Coke and Pepsi? Is that like Raven Steelers? What? Is it all under the same umbrella? It is interesting to me and I don’t know. And I went to Canada a couple of weeks ago, and I was listening. I love Canadian radio, like I’m a radio station owner FCC license owner for 25 years in Canada, they have to play Canadian music. So you get more Rushmore Bryan Adams more honeymoon suite. Probably more. Corey Hart then you really want are more Barenaked Ladies. But they have a lot of a lot of 649. They have a name. What do they come up with these names? Lots of RIA, I understand as an Hispanic just means lottery. But Powerball and Mega Millions. What are the history of those, John?
John Martin 13:33
Well, mega million started as the big game, the big game back. Remember
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:37
that the big game? Thank you see, it’s my personal story. And
John Martin 13:41
I don’t know what because I wasn’t at the table at the time. I don’t know when they said you know what, we’re not going to call it that anymore. We’re going to call it mega million. So I don’t know, I don’t know about that part of it. But you’re correct. And that certain states had the big game. And then certain states had Powerball as an alternative. So it was kind of a, you know, Hatfields and McCoys more than anything else. At that point, it
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:03
was more of trying to get into one state versus most right. And you’re right at that point, each
John Martin 14:09
state had its own parochial view of that. And you did you had people crossing state lines when one of them got into triple digits, at that time was big news. So back in 2010 2010, maybe that’s pretty recent.
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:26
Okay. All right.
John Martin 14:27
I know pretty recent, that they said, you know, this is silly. Let’s just bring them all under the same family and states can sell both games, which started then and eventually all states came on board. They don’t start on day one. But over several months, in 2010. States could sell both and today of course, they do sell both, but the games are very similar and Despite attempts with promotions and differentiation, I think for most people, I would acknowledge and fairly say that most people view them as the same and they chase the one that has the larger number.
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:02
There you go. Well, I mean, that’s fact. So I drove over to spirits west right by your office on the west side of town. And I came down to pick Fulton I don’t know where it is, but maybe in North in that area, and West Baltimore near cop, and I was going to the cop and game. And there’s still a place on the corner that has the sign from my childhood that says the numbers game. And I’d actually took a picture of it. And I was gonna send it over to and say this, you know, from somebody, maybe you’re from Ohio or whatever. But from a from a kid. It’s like the pictures behind you all the old wishbone stuff and stuff. That’s vintage, I guess we would call it at this point. But when you start saying the big game, and you start saying the numbers game, and I’m like, we haven’t worked on these brands in a long, long time here for you with the new year and getting into this with sports wagering we, gosh, we talked so much about and it feels like it’s been a little while since we talked about this, because I think people are going to go to casinos, they’re going to watch games, they’re going to treat these weekends, especially this weekend. Coming up next weekend, I should say. It’s almost like you go to Vegas and watch three games and play all day and have a day speak the sports wagering a little bit as we entered 2024 Because we’ve gotten like first real full year last year. And I think even you would say it wasn’t normal because of the way it came on. And mobile came on during the sort of the middle of the season and Thanksgiving and Christmas. But this was like a first year to measure we’re now going into maybe what I dare I say the first really normal year 2024 For sports wagering,
John Martin 16:28
I think that’s an excellent perspective, which is what you do that that’s your job to provide to
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:34
that’s how I kind of you, I appreciate you. Because
John Martin 16:36
now in in January, I mean the year over year comparisons, and we are very much a numbers industry and we compare year over year and trends. You’re right now is the time we really have January 24 versus January 23, to really see how the roller coaster goes through the year with the cyclical nature of the sports calendar, and how things and players respond to that. So it will be interesting to see on the 10th of January, we will have the December numbers, that’s typically our cadence the 10th of the month, we’ll know what the previous month delivered on so right now we are trending a little bit above what we had expected at this point. We still have people in the pipeline, God bless them all who were still, you know, trying to get their affairs in order and come into the end of the market. So we’re not yet fully operational. We have 25, licenses, sports books, 13, retail, 12 Mobile, and this will be January through the rest of calendar 24 will be a fair assessment year over year. And we expect those numbers to continue to, to certainly ebb and flow but probably be better than than year over year because I think the market grows just organically year over year. Well, I’ll
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:54
tell you why it’s been fun for people that I know that play and play responsibly. And, you know, little parlay over the weekend for three games to try to have fun and win 100 bucks with five or 10 bucks or whatever. I know a lot of people that have been doing that. It has never been my thing because I was a journalist and just sort of like, you know, asking Lamar, if he’s hurt and running on to the radio and betting on it was not something that was something that was frowned upon forever. As I get more into it, it has become much more especially with television and celebrities and different people just talking about the games. I know what the point spread is. And I can honestly say I probably spent 15 years on the radio where I really didn’t know the point spread so much, because it just wasn’t where my focus was, you know, you
John Martin 18:34
know, and certainly with the the more recent news with ESPN getting into the market, not only in Maryland, but in several other states. You know, it does start to blur the line a little bit and I am empathetic to people who are a little raise an eyebrow as to what that really means. And you’re right. The immediacy of it. The ability to have it literally inundate, you know, online play in real time action. It does does give me a little reason to kind of hey,
Nestor J. Aparicio 19:07
when I look at the players player in the game or in front of someone with a mic flag says Caesars on and I’m a little late or Bally’s and a little like a little strange. Yeah. Well, when the ravens are setting up interviews with valleys and Caesars in the middle of the week for interviews that are now media companies, we really have and it’s not going back I don’t want to be Get off my lawn guy. I’m a I’m an adjuster. You don’t I’m saying but the adjustment psychologically is it’s ubiquitous very, very quickly. And a year and a half ago, you were at the center of Tryon was suar Trying to get all of this stuff together to make it like this and now’s the time to say to people it’s playoffs. We’re all excited to ravens go on the Super Bowl roll you know pump the brakes a little bits, just do it responsibly. I think that I try to stay out in front of that all the time because I’ve you know, I’ve seen it wreck people’s lives 3040 years ago when I was a kid, you know, just having Atlantic City up the road was for some people too much. You know? Yeah, and then
John Martin 20:01
that’s something that we as as the role we play, because because we were both regulator and operator, right? I mean, we operate the lottery here in Maryland, and that for many people can be a trigger in and of itself. And we understand that and we promote responsible play, and we do what we can to direct people to the resources that they need. But when we regulate the casino side and the sports wagering side, we really partner with those operators and trust them. And quite frankly, as part of their application process, they need to show us that they’ve got a responsible gaming platform in place and messaging in place and will adhere to our regulatory guidelines. And and that will only get more more scrutinized and more developed. In the years ahead. Good,
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:45
good. Good. John Morris here he is executive director of all things Maryland lottery gaming. We’re a little bit of a hiatus for a couple weeks, but we’re gonna come back strong on February fifth, with crabcake row, it’s gonna be the biggest charity promotion that I’ve ever done in 25 years celebrate 25 years, you want to do something awesome. Something awesome, like be the Ravens being in the Super Bowl. I don’t want to say it would be awesome if Joe Flacco was in the Super Bowl because it might come at it would come at our expense one way or another. But I would say if Joe Flacco is going to the Super Bowl, it’s coming through Baltimore at least you’d like to think that but this is really, really a fun month, right? I mean, for Baltimore for the year for the Orioles and the ravens to win division titles. I’ve been doing this 32 years on the air 39 years professionally. It’s never happened. So we’re really sort of in the middle of these are the good times John Martin, right. These
John Martin 21:30
are the good times Nestor we hope they had good times get better. Anything
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:34
you want to say go Washington Huskies or any you want to be anthemic just a little bit because I’ll do it with you. I’m in. No, no, no, I
John Martin 21:40
didn’t really get that caught up. And I watched, you know, truth be told, I watched just the overtime of the Michigan game. I didn’t really see anything. So I have no idea how they got there. Then I watched none of the Washington Texas game because it was past my bedtime. I couldn’t stay up that late. So we’re
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:57
gonna talk a lot of college football this week. So I’ll do this with you. I cannot believe that everybody’s just cool with put the ball down at the 25 yard line and overtime like I I can’t believe we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that this is football and I’m thinking of my it’s kind of like penalty kicks in soccer, like at the sports guy exactly what it is. Yes. The sports guy in me says you’re playing for a champion. Look, listen, it’s different a hockey game on February 1 In Quebec, right? If it’s three, three after 70 minutes, okay, go home cuz you said you get on the buses go. And I would even say that. I wouldn’t say that about an NBA game or baseball game, because I think we’re our society’s not happy with a tie in any of that. And certainly soccer wasn’t happy, which is why they bastardize the game, but I was very disappointed. I mean, I just thought to myself that baseball doesn’t put the guy on second base in postseason because it’s dumb.
John Martin 22:46
You know, and, again, I’m not that big a fan either to understand the rule. So I it was, yeah, I mean, I understood what they did. But I actually watched it and I had the same feeling because, you know, they do the coin flip. And then obviously, the decision on whether you want to offense first or, or defense first, but then the other team, I didn’t realize this, they picked the end of the field. So they had the Michigan end of the field. Again, especially the way the college seats, these these things, so So Alabama, had to then try to go into the Michigan brand. Yeah. Which was wow, that was interesting. Yeah, college football.
Nestor J. Aparicio 23:30
I you know, it’ll be over on Monday. And then we get down to real business around here next week. John Martin is here. He’s the Executive Director of all things Maryland lottery, he will he will have the Flacco 15 Brown on in the spirit of Jim Brown and lose a toe Groza behind him at some point and I don’t know I think all the Baltimore be sort of in for the brands next week and in some weird way, because they’d be playing like Jacksonville or Houston or Indianapolis. No problem against Indianapolis. We never have a problem with that around here. So it’s gonna be a wild month football around here. If you’ve been listening in on amp 1517 you hear some crabcake tour. Best stuff. Some of the best conversations we’ve had the last six to nine months. You’ll hear a little bit of that heading into the weekend. Luke is out in Owings Mills getting ready for Steelers and bad weather here this week. And then we’re gonna set ourselves just fan ourselves and eat grapes around here and drink champagne watching the rest of the NFL Play. While we wait. Nervously I might add some AFC Divisional action around here I am Nestor. We are wn st am 1570, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore positive and happy New Year Raven festival. Stay with us.
