NASHVILLE, Tenn. (SUBMITTED) -- Weekend news at the Tennessee Lottery is steaming hot with the arrival of Mega Millions throughout the state today, giving the popular Powerball game a mega-partner.

Beginning today, 33 state lotteries, representing a combined population of 199 million people and 147,000 agents, are offering both Mega Millions and Powerball thanks to a recent agreement. The market for these games has the potential to expand to 45 state lotteries, representing 291 million Americans and 182,000 retail outlets.

The Tennessee Lottery expects Mega Millions to bring an additional $10 to $15 million annually to education programs in Tennessee.

For more details about Mega Millions and other Tennessee Lottery games, visit www.tnlottery.com or call Player Services at 1-877-7TN-PLAY. In the Nashville area, call 254-4946.

About the Tennessee Education Lottery

The Tennessee Education Lottery operates entirely from the revenue it generates through the sale of its products. Net proceeds from sales of Lottery tickets, currently averaging over $5 million per week, fund specific education programs, including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. Since the Tennessee Lottery began selling tickets on Jan. 20, 2004, it has raised more than $1.6 billion for these programs, and returned to Tennessee communities nearly $3.6 billion in prizes and nearly $393 million in retailer commissions. For more information, please visit www.tnlottery.com. For information about Lottery-funded scholarships, visit www.collegepaystn.com.

(This information was submitted by The Tennessee Lottery.)