It is really not that impressive. If you look at the odds, it is near impossible to win, even more so than other lotteries.

I could make a lottery which is even harder to win, and every time someone doesn't, it would grow. And eventually hit over a billion in prize money. Which wouldn't really matter because it would be won once every century. So yes, buy a ticket. One. Because its throwing money down the drain, but one dollar isn't going to kill you.

Take a couple of semesters of college level Statistics and really study the Chapters on "Statistical Probability"......then go home and let some other sucker wait in line to buy a ticket for absolutely no reason whatsover simply because your chances of winning are a trillion to one but your chances of having sore feet and being really, really disappointed are actually very, very good!.......Sorry....but that is simply the way it is.....I am merely the messenger...............and a professional Statistician for a living.

Take a couple of semesters of college level Statistics and really study the Chapters on "Statistical Probability"

That's why it cracks me up when I hear people who buy 10 tickets and think that makes them 10 times more likely to win!! Uh... NO. It increases your chances from 1E-10% to 1.E-10%...

As an aside, THIS is the new American Dream people. Ain't it grand!

Hey, JusBidenMyTime, way to be a Debbie Downer!

DrowningGrover,

This is the new american day-dream. I haven't been this happy in long time, just imagining what I am going to do with all that scratch.

I'm in. Hit me!

To the Statistician---

Well, no kidding. The odds are stacked against you. But the jackpot WILL FALL TO SOMEBODY. And that is why people play. Its fun, maybe you meet a new person in line, etc. People are not as dumb as you seem to think. Nobody needs a statistician to tell them about the odds-----they get it.

Going to vegas and putting it all on black if I win.

The problem with the no fun nay-sayers is the fact that people do win the lottery's, and another fact is that these lottery's are won on a frequent basis. The drawings are held twice a week, and twice a week there are million dollar winners in my state alone which is $670,000 after taxes. Not bad for a $1 ticket with another $1 for the multiplier. These nay-sayers also over look the fact for the reason why it is rare for jackpots to get to this size, and that is because the jackpots are won before they get this big. The fact is that there are countless lottery jackpot winners walking around, and soon there will be another one.

Some of these people act like spending a couple of bucks on the lottery is a waste of money when another fact is that people waste a lot more money than that on total BS without a chance for any return at all.

The bottom line is that it is fun to daydream about the money, and sometimes dreams do come true, just ask the 81 year old Grandma who won the $331 million Powerball last month. She didn't care about the odds, and the odds didn't care either.

The chances of you winning the lottery for retirment are better than getting Social Security

It must stink to go through life with such a negative outlook of things. If you don't want to participate in the lottery, why are you even reading this story or thread? We all know the odds are enormously stacked against us, but we also know that we gain utility just by thinking about what we'd do if we were that rich!

I do have a mathematics background, and I can still understand why this is such a great cultural event and why people participate. Think about it this way - there are good odds that *someone* will win the jackpot, and each one of my tickets has as good a chance as each one of anyone else's tickets! That's what we call 'positive framing' - if you negative nancies tried that a bit more, your lives might not be so mundane!

Hey Adam:

Tell us what other "great" things we have to look forward to: Presidential elections? Climate change? WAR?

Take a brake from your "statistics"and let people have a dream...We know we are not going to win it...it's fun anyway and keeps the world going....

I like your style, DingleB. "Living on the edge hypothetically."

Lotteries are a tax on the poor (d'ya'recon bill gates buys a ticket?)

In the UK because you pay tax on the bet the winnings are tax free, i.e. you get it all

HA HA...I wonder how many in those lines really really despise the rich....lol

Just remember, who ever wins, take the cash payout. The chances of you collecting the payments from the lottery for 26 more years is slim. Get the money while you can. If you understand the NPV of money, it is a no-brainer, but not everyone knows that.

There's an old saying that "money can't buy happiness."

I'll take a half a billion dollars and suffer miserably.

@JusBidenMyTime,

While your arugment is mostly correct, but the fact is SOMEONE will hit this thing. If you standby idle and do not play your chances are an infinite 0%. I am sorry I will take my chances of altering my life forever, no matter how slight the chances are. I stood in line for two hours to get tickets and I normally hate waiting in line, but with a minimal at best chance of winning, I was willing to make an exception especially since the jackpot is so big.

IRespond:

Did you even read my post? I agree with you...

Signed,
A very confused Adam

Tom Hamilton - Sooooo tell us.....how many hours did you stand in line and just how many tickets did you actually buy????

I have decided that it is worth the buck to have a shot at 540+ million dollars... My 19 year old daughter is already looking for a lear jet to fly her back and forth from the Paris fashion houses. My 17 year old son ( just got senior license) is plotting his purchase of the worlds fastest car. My Hubby is plotting renting a stretch hummer to take him and the other 3 guys he commutes with to work in NYC. Of course he said he's dropping them off telling the boss he quits and leaving but he said he'll be nice and send the hummer back to pick up the other 3 after work.

It is FUN to dream and plan and laugh with your family over all the things you could do with that money. Bottom line in todays hectic world for a few bucks shot at the ultimate dream, families come together and dream again... which is something that doesn't happen too often. So folks I'll take my tickets and my 1 -200 million odds and sit with my family dreaming.

I don't normally buy tickets for these lotterys but I must today. If it gives me one chance to win all that money. I can buy enough guns, ammo, and explosives to arm my little army. THANKS

Why so much hate for the lottery? It's not like people are pouring their life savings into it. Buy a couple tickets, if you don't win, oh well (it's not like you just lost a whole @!$%# load of money). Even if you had someone spending every penny they got on the lottery, who cares??? It's not your money and you aren't spending it, so just stfu and stop trying to tell me how to live.

So if the odds of winning are about 1 in 176 million and the payout is (currently) around $390 million, someone like Bill Gates could, "just for fun", buy a couple hundred million unique tickets and probably make a couple hundred million $$$$'s....

I love the nay sayers... YES the odds are stacked against you... YES it's like throwing money away.. Like a $5 coffee... $15 Movie.... Let me ask you when you go to a concert or a ball game do you not buy a beer or a snack because statistically you are being over charges by 3 times the value?? It's a pipe dream and something to talk about... Some lucky "sucker" or "suckers" more then likely will have over 500,000,000 reasons to bet against statistics tomorrow night you can go ahead and remind the rest of us we were suckers to drop a buck on that dream..

Hey stat man: I have taken and passed college stat classes and most preach probability, and I can assure you the guy who bought ten tickets has a better chance than the guy who bought one ticket, and evn more so than the guy who didn't play. My motto is "you can't win if you don't play", and "somebody has to win, why not me?"

Gundy: I myself have thought of that, the only problem is what if ten other winning tickets are sold?

Yeah gundyflyer. Unless there 3 or 4 winning tickets.

"Imagine" Nothing more need be said.

It's basically entertainment value. Yes, there's a teeny tiny chance you could win, but you buy the ticket more so you can daydream about what you'd do if you won.

You think if I win they can pay me all in Pennies!!!! I wanted counted ten times to make sure its right though.

If you had a chance to peek into the future for just 5 minutes what date & time would you choose? Some say the date & time they will die..for me the 5 minute peek into the future would be.. 11:30 PM EST Friday March 30, 2012. Rather not know when I'm going to die.

Why so much hate for the lottery?

Sour grapes.

Also, I spent 5 minutes in line and bought ten tickets. So pbbbfffttt.

Peanut Butter Sandwitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Question,

If the odds of winning are 1 in 176 million, and the payout after et al is 386 million, why doesnt some rich ahole buy all of the probable numbers?

Hey, ya can't win if ya don't play.

Just think of it as paying a few bucks to make your or somebody else's dreams come true.

Eric, you said you are going to win the Mega Millions jackpot on Friday. Sorry, but you can't do that. I bought the winning ticket yesterday!

Although the odds are near impossible, it's still fun to just buy one or two tickets. You can't live life being too strict with yourselves. If you start calculating the taxes, the statistical improbabilities, and all the wisdom then you're beginning to suck the joy and fun out of life. Buy one or two tickets, enjoy the fun, have fun, be happy, live life, and perhaps spend one or two dollars less on something else in your life.

Conscious spending, folks.

America Today-Anthony wrote:

Question,

If the odds of winning are 1 in 176 million, and the payout after et al is 386 million, why doesnt some rich ahole buy all of the probable numbers?

First, we have to define what "probable numbers" means, and second, what's the point? Someone with that much money doesn't really need more, and isn't going to jump up and down in joy if they won. And even if they felt they did want more money for some reason, they could easily find far more interesting ways to invest it. ("Far more interesting" meaning, investing in new technologies, or anything else that could make a huge difference in people's lives.)

But anyway, extra points for implying that rich people are "aholes." Hopefully you won't win and become like them!

Take a couple of semesters of college level Statistics and really study the Chapters on "Statistical Probability"......then go home and let some other sucker wait in line to buy a ticket for absolutely no reason whatsover simply because your chances of winning are a trillion to one but your chances of having sore feet and being really, really disappointed are actually very, very good!.......Sorry....but that is simply the way it is.....I am merely the messenger...............and a professional Statistician for a living.

So you're saying I could spend a dollar and dream, or I could save that dollar and be so bored and depressed that I spend a lot more on depression medication? Ticket please!

If the odds of winning are 1 in 176 million, and the payout after et al is 386 million, why doesnt some rich ahole buy all of the probable numbers?

Because the odds of having multiple winners would be VERY high, then the payout isn't 386 million but half of that, or maybe only a third of that. That 176 million already in the bank is better off in nearly any other investment on Earth than that.

The chances of you winning the lottery for retirment are better than getting Social Security

Only if people elect more Republicans

The fact of it is that someone DOES win. My chances are just as good as theirs. I'll spend a dollar.

When I spend my dollar on a ticket like that, I know I'm just donating that dollar to the state... but guess what? It's a lot of fun to joke and dream about what if... and it lasts a few days, that's worth the buck. Plus in my state the proceeds go to college scholarships, so I don't mind that at all.

Ok.....Fess up......is one in 176 million bad odds or what?

And so will there brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Who ever wins will suddenly find out how many relatives they have. LOL

@ObiOrion

You hit the nail on the head....

Who ever wins will suddenly find out how many relatives they have

And Friends that suddenly "have been thinking about you lately" How nice to hear from you! such joy!

I remember something like this in the past about inheritance, the comment really struck me " I have never knew that I have so many relatives."

Just to show you, when you are cover in honey, all kinds of bugs will come to get you.

And friends. Can't remember that guys name from junior high school that did that trick with pencil? Don't worry, he will call you.

My Facebook friends list will go from 100 to 1,000,000,000 over night.

If I won that money, I would hook my friends and family up! That is alot of money!! I'd hook some charities up too. That's more than you'd ever need so I'd share. We have a thing going at work where 40 of my coworkers all bought a ticket and we signed an agreement that if ONE of us win we split it. Although that would be less money, I would be happy just winning SOMETHING. But I think just for good measure and fun that I will go buy one more by myself.

And that's the problem with buying tickets in a pool. If anybody has a winning ticket, it's ALWAYS the one they bought out of the pool that was the winner. For $540,000,000 for themselves versus splitting it 40 ways? HA! The 'pool' ticket will NEVER win!

Just entered an office pool myself. We all get copies of the tickets as soon as they're purchased, and the tickets get locked up in with the petty cash in the office until the drawing. We have the 'whose ticket is it' problem covered.

We currently have 14 people- 38 mil sounds pretty good to me :)

Dont worry you will still get your public assistance one way or the other. Fool....

Why waste your money on such a loser!!

You know, wierd! I had the same exact thought. They would get the largest individual "contribution to a super pac in history from me. Because the right "zealots" WILL destroy America with their bullsh''. And I am not haveing the right wing Taliban wannabe's in charge of anything.

That would be a big waste of money. He is gonna lose.

De2Or2010 Don't worry you will never win with that reason. How is Obama going to use it sitting in jail for aiding and abetting in the Black Panther crime.

Same here.. I'd dump a ton of money into Obama's super pac.. them move to Sweden.

You are a complete wastrel D2Or.

Jealous Much!

'odds are greatly improved by actually playing!" Hah! Best line ever!

No you won't.

If I win I'll pay all of these goverment people what they are worth, 1 dollar, just 1 dollar and I'll keep the rest...

Now that makes more sense than giving to Obummblers super pac.

The last thing that I would do is giving any to politicians. I would give to the vets that are homeless in the street, or I would build shelters for people with mental and physical disabilities that can't take care of themselves.

Politicians can take care of themselves without any help from lottery winners.

Put it all in the banks(s) so you won't have to see it and be tempted to spend it so bad.

Once you have done that, stop entering your spending into your checkbook. :)

How practical you are billw001.

My advice, get yourself a small posse of "close friends" to help you blow all that money. May I offer my services?

You and me both Chris, I thinking a full blown Charlie Sheen/Bob Marley while doubling down on a Hugh Heffner

I would NOT become one of those people who wins the jackpot and is broke after a year

You'd think so, but there's countless stories of people whose lives go to hell in a handbasket after winning the lottery. Broken families, drug problems, bad investments, etc. Some people can handle it, some people can't.

That's 3,405,000,000 Yuan.

@Chris

Think of it like as using all your luck in one day, then every next day after that, you have 0.

Those are just the stories that make it to the media, Chris. Do you think anyone cares about all the winners who quietly live off their $2MM (random number) annual interest from their winnings? Nope, and I think that's what a lot of (the more intelligent) winners would do.

I met this woman, relatively young black woman (27), who had won a multimillion dollar jackpot. She wasn't spoiled, but had instead went to school to learn how to mechanic on Jaguars and bought herself a very nice sportbike. She paid some pf her relatives bills and put the rest in the bank and lived off the interest. She was real cool.

I'll take that risk.

I rather have the opportunity to have the money destroy my life and not have that chance. Besides if you know what you are doing the money would not destroy you life, rather substantially change or alter ones life and families lives forever. I am sorry I will tek the 40 bucks I would of spent probably eating out for a chance for over 500 million.

Can't wait to see some poor fool get destroyed by all the money... lol

I would not mind...The fool that wasted all the money...Sounds great to me..Instead of the fool that got ripped off by the bank

People are willing to risk a lot for that kind of money these days. I saw a woman yesterday spend 400 bucks on lottery tickets.

We had someone here in NY purchase 1000 tickets.

I am just fine with the five I bought.

You have used up your winning streak already. Time for new winners.

Lol you can never use up a winning streak -- I have a secret and that is the honest truth. I'm pretty sure I have the 250K down it's just a matter of the silly mega ball...

OMG!!! I would totally do something similar but it would be a film adaptation of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac!! I'd also push the Wheel of Time out of development hell and get The Wayfarer Redemption up off the ground. For the fun of it I will also do the live action of The Last Unicorn. :)

Oh and a sequel to Repo the Genetic Opera

Beautiful vision bro! Can I be in your dream?

Lord k-I'd pay to take me and hubby to see Johnny :)

Alecia, such centers already exist.......they're called schools.

jh749, it's a reference from the movie Zoolander...it was a joke...heh...

Please build the full size version if you do win. I would hate to waste any of your considerable resources on ants...

We teach you that there's more to life than just being really, really, really good looking. Right kids?

Or did you think I was too stupid to know what a eugoogooly was?

didn't eric zoolander build a school?

Honestly I'm scared if you build that center considering that the proper way of saying that is a "Center for Children who cannot read well and want to learn to do other things just as well"

SWOOOOOSHHHH!!!!

That's the sound of Alecia's comment going WAYYY over some of your heads. hahaha

Happy birthday Alicia, and good luck with the lottery

There is more to life than being REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good looking!

Good one, Alicia!

And yes, this one Sailed past the opposition! She shoots, she SCORES!

To many people have given up on the "American Dream." Don't you realize it is easier to achieve than winning the lottery? It's not easy but the opportunity is still there.

I'd love to know how spending $5 on lotto tickets instead of an ice cream cone precludes someone from living the "American Dream" the traditional way.

Adaminmd. It is about holding on to a dream, not about spending $5 and if you can't understand that, the dream has already been lost.

The only problem with The American Dream is it is not defined. Your American Dream is way different than mine. And maybe some other persons is to work at Mcdonalds and become a burger flipper.

We each even have different ideas on what true Wealth is. Mine is just enough to live off of. And good health. 2.2 million is a goal. But I live the American dream everyday. Just by being a living citizen. So $100 bucks on the lotto wont kill my dream. I could spend that at a blackjack table having fun.

I did not buy $100 worth of tickets though only three. ;-)

Dave, they just did a story on how those things are a rip off... You have been warned...

I would still have enough leftover to get milk, bread, and cold cuts for tomorrow.

No if the IRS calls you you won't

I hope so too......................

Me too. I work at a convenience store and going through that transitin totally reaked.

I have not bought a Powerball at the new price,...don't intend to,...

Something about a one dollar 'gamble' that seems less intentionally stupid. Or just more conveniently cheap! ha ha

Moneeeeey, its a hit.....

:) Exactly 0% and 0.000003% are pretty much the same. Everyone! Someone will win. Just not you. Keep your dollar and put it in the bank. Statistically, the odds of you becoming the president of the US are better than winning the jackpot. You can't win. period.

The only way you CAN'T win is if you don't play. Having low odds are not the same as no odds. And 0 and 0.0000003% are miles apart, not the same thing.

Keep your dollar and put it in the bank.

Will be safer under the mattress

Someone will win tomorrow. And it will be someone with the same odds as everyone else.

Someone will win tomorrow some govermant man :) and maney back in some bank . Ppl who is soo nut to lose 500 mil dol pls iven govermant ! U fall very down wt Ur economy when u 500 mil ppl hope for 1 winner of 500 mil dol and u think that somwone will winn fair !ccc very naive !

Well, with the lousy interest rates banks are offering, putting the dollar in the bank is more of a waste than buying a lottery ticket.

I've never bought a lottery ticket and reading these comments has been fascinating. I might buy one if there is still time. I find it so interesting that people have such elaborate fantasies about what they would do. I've never imagined having much money since it is unlikely to happen.

TFNJ,

my first purchase would be something that a New Jersey resident such as yourself would appreciate: The Farralone estate. It was Sinatra's home for many years, and Marilyn Monroe stayed in the guesthouse when she was schtupping JFK. A real bargain at 13 Mil.

http://www.farraloneestate.com/

That would make for one banging party place. Oh yeah.

If its haunted I'll pay extra

A chance to spend the night with Marilyn's ghost.. lol

not necessarily, but if you go into the kitchen in the middle of the night for a snack and The Rat Pack is sitting around the table playing poker, I wouldn't freak out. I wouldn't ask to be dealt in but I would definitely hang out for a bit.

That would be kinda cool.