1.4 BILLION Powerball

[QLR1]

Plunked down $16 on Saturday... Will spend about the same for Wednesday.

 

[kronin323]

I'm all for playing the lottery when the jackpot gets big, and this one certainly qualifies, biggest in history...

But I only buy one ticket. Why?

The odds of winning the powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. While the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 3000. How worried are you about being struck by lightning?

Basically the odds of winning are so infinitesimal that hitting it is pure random luck and there's nothing you can do to increase your odds in a meaningful way. Buy 10 tickets and your odds are 10 in 292,201,338. Those odds are, for all practical purposes, equally infinitesimal, but your out-of-pocket cost is 10x as much.

I mean, look at Sat's 900 million drawing - can you imagine how many tickets were bought for that one? Yet nobody won...

So, buy a ticket to at least give pure random luck a chance. But buying more than one is just a waste of money.

 

[Duke Nivram]

I'm all for playing the lottery when the jackpot gets big, and this one certainly qualifies, biggest in history...

But I only buy one ticket. Why?

The odds of winning the powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. While the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 3000. How worried are you about being struck by lightning?

Basically the odds of winning are so infinitesimal that hitting it is pure random luck and there's nothing you can do to increase your odds in a meaningful way. Buy 10 tickets and your odds are 10 in 292,201,338. Those odds are, for all practical purposes, equally infinitesimal, but your out-of-pocket cost is 10x as much.

I mean, look at Sat's 900 million drawing - can you imagine how many tickets were bought for that one? Yet nobody won...

So, buy a ticket to at least give pure random luck a chance. But buying more than one is just a waste of money.

The largest increase of odds is buying the first ticket

 

[reggavegga]

We won 7 dollars!!!!!!!!! We got 2 numbers plus the powerball... Wife had 2 other numbers that were one off in same line.

 

[QLR1]

I'm all for playing the lottery when the jackpot gets big, and this one certainly qualifies, biggest in history...

But I only buy one ticket. Why?

The odds of winning the powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. While the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 3000. How worried are you about being struck by lightning?

Basically the odds of winning are so infinitesimal that hitting it is pure random luck and there's nothing you can do to increase your odds in a meaningful way. Buy 10 tickets and your odds are 10 in 292,201,338. Those odds are, for all practical purposes, equally infinitesimal, but your out-of-pocket cost is 10x as much.

I mean, look at Sat's 900 million drawing - can you imagine how many tickets were bought for that one? Yet nobody won...

So, buy a ticket to at least give pure random luck a chance. But buying more than one is just a waste of money.

Why you have to inject facts into the discussion?

 

[kronin323]

The largest increase of odds is buying the first ticket

EXACTLY!!!

Why you have to inject facts into the discussion?

Hey, it's your money, but those facts might actually be... useful?!?

 

[Duke Nivram]

EXACTLY!!!



Hey, it's your money, but those facts might actually be... useful?!?

 

[the_owl]

Some say owning 300 pairs of sunglasses is a waste.
Or buying a $6 beer.
Ive been buying $20 worth for three drawings. Feed the consumer engine right?

 

[QLR1]

EXACTLY!!!



Hey, it's your money, but those facts might actually be... useful?!?

It useful. However, my chances of winning, while small, is nonzero.

 

[QLR1]

$16 gone...

Glad they have quick pick kiosks... I hate standing in lines to give my money away.