Every day coming home from middle school in Wilmington DE (Joe Biden what!), I would see signs for the Delaware Powerball that had one of those ticker counts that told you what the jackpot was up to those days. As the numbers clicked through the millions from Monday to Friday, who wouldn't as a kid fantasize about all the cool SNES games they could buy with a cool $1,000,000?

Granted, movies like Blank Check and Richie Rich also fueled these childhood dreams of having your own indoor McDonalds/waterpark…which seems funny now to think of, because kids aren't old enough to buy lottery tickets, so those delusions of grandeur had to wait a couple more years until the young, idealistic kid who just wants Arnold Schwarzenegger as a personal trainer becomes the disgruntled youth that can't even be bothered to vote, let alone buy a scratch-and-win (unless it's done ironically).

So now, more than ever, those big dreams of lottery winnings and being the envy of all your friends aren't enough to make fiscally conservative adults buy lotto tickets. That's why the marketers and ad men behind state lottery games have had to rethink what it is Americans want during these hard economic times (hint: It involves a personal Exxon fountain):

These days, taking that "Be the most resented person you know because you won the lottery" tone is outdated in lottery messaging, said Mike Doherty, president of Seattle-based Cole & Weber United, which recently picked up the Washington State Lottery's marketing account after a review. "It's more fun to think about what you can do with the money in a more positive way."

Capitalizing on the country's gas crisis, the Missouri Lottery has partnered with pump owners to offer gas discounts with the purchase of a $2 ticket.

It's always fun to think of what you can do with money in a positive way, especially when it involves being able to buy enough gas to get to work and live your life as good as you had it 8 years ago.

So lotto guys, here's a slogan for you, no charge: The New York State Lotto: Party Like It's 1999