Powerball jackpot is a quarter billion $$$!

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Drewcifer
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Powerball jackpot is a quarter billion $$$!

Post by Drewcifer »

I stopped to get gas today, and Powerball frenzy has taken over. People are acting crazy, buying $100 worth of tickets. I had to buy one ticket; it's worth $1 to me for a chance, even a astronomically slim one, at $250 million dollars. But people are spending insane amounts on tickets. I read in the paper today that some lady here bought $900 worth of tickets! The couple behind me at the gas station couldn't believe I was only buying one ticket, and they plopped down $65 for tickets. I smiled as I left, knowing that every single ticket they bought has the exact same chance of winning as my single ticket: one in 120 million (you literally have a better chance of being struck by lightening or a meteorite than winning Powerball).

It's like the old coin toss thing. No matter how many times you flip the coin, the chances are always 50/50. Even if you flip heads 1,000 times in a row, the chance for tails on the 1,001 flip is still 50/50.

Anyhow, if I win the jackpot, everyone here gets a Lego ISD. I'll even hand 'em out personally at the big sd.net party I'll throw :mrgreen:
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Re: Powerball jackpot is a quarter billion $$$!

Post by YT300000 »

Drewcifer wrote:I stopped to get gas today, and Powerball frenzy has taken over. People are acting crazy, buying $100 worth of tickets. I had to buy one ticket; it's worth $1 to me for a chance, even a astronomically slim one, at $250 million dollars. But people are spending insane amounts on tickets. I read in the paper today that some lady here bought $900 worth of tickets! The couple behind me at the gas station couldn't believe I was only buying one ticket, and they plopped down $65 for tickets. I smiled as I left, knowing that every single ticket they bought has the exact same chance of winning as my single ticket: one in 120 million (you literally have a better chance of being struck by lightening or a meteorite than winning Powerball).

It's like the old coin toss thing. No matter how many times you flip the coin, the chances are always 50/50. Even if you flip heads 1,000 times in a row, the chance for tails on the 1,001 flip is still 50/50.

Anyhow, if I win the jackpot, everyone here gets a Lego ISD. I'll even hand 'em out personally at the big sd.net party I'll throw :mrgreen:
$250 000 000 :o :o :o :o

Make sure the ISD's are to scale (37 metres long). :D
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Post by Zoink »

I keep telling my mother to give me her lotto money, and that I'll pay her the jackpot if she wins. She hasn't gone for it yet. :?
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Post by Darth Garden Gnome »

I remember when the Big Game was up to $600,000,000. Now that was a frenzy; people were lined up from the counter all the way out of the store doors to get tickets. My dad got one. Needless to say we didn't win; in fact, I'm not sure who did.
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Re: Powerball jackpot is a quarter billion $$$!

Post by fgalkin »

Drewcifer wrote:I stopped to get gas today, and Powerball frenzy has taken over. People are acting crazy, buying $100 worth of tickets. I had to buy one ticket; it's worth $1 to me for a chance, even a astronomically slim one, at $250 million dollars. But people are spending insane amounts on tickets. I read in the paper today that some lady here bought $900 worth of tickets! The couple behind me at the gas station couldn't believe I was only buying one ticket, and they plopped down $65 for tickets. I smiled as I left, knowing that every single ticket they bought has the exact same chance of winning as my single ticket: one in 120 million (you literally have a better chance of being struck by lightening or a meteorite than winning Powerball).

It's like the old coin toss thing. No matter how many times you flip the coin, the chances are always 50/50. Even if you flip heads 1,000 times in a row, the chance for tails on the 1,001 flip is still 50/50.

Anyhow, if I win the jackpot, everyone here gets a Lego ISD. I'll even hand 'em out personally at the big sd.net party I'll throw :mrgreen:
Nah, buy me a BMW Z4 instead. :twisted:

Have a very nice day.
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Post by Sea Skimmer »

Not like this is a record or anything, Powerball nearly reached 400 million once as I recall.
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Post by thecreech »

I always buy one ticket when it gets really high. I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars not to win.
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Post by Faram »

I really want one of thoe Lego ISD so I do hope you win!

Btw can you buy a plane ticket for me also? ;)
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Post by Drewcifer »

Sea Skimmer wrote:Not like this is a record or anything, Powerball nearly reached 400 million once as I recall.
Yeah, right now, it's only the 4th largest jackpot for Powerball. It's just funny how people go completely apeshit buying tickets. I guess I can't blame folks too much though, it's fun to think about winning [Dr.Evil]one quarter billlllion dollars[/Dr.Evil]...
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Post by XaLEv »

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Post by Beowulf »

Just fork over a couple hundred thousand, and I'll be happy. :twisted:

I wouldn't mind a RX-8 though...
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Post by Sea Skimmer »

Beowulf wrote:Just fork over a couple hundred thousand, and I'll be happy. :twisted:

I wouldn't mind a RX-8 though...
I'd be happy with a new computer. See I'm not as greedy as Beowulf so now reward me with 100,000.
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Post by Howedar »

Beowulf wrote:Just fork over a couple hundred thousand, and I'll be happy. :twisted:

I wouldn't mind a RX-8 though...
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Post by YT300000 »

Drewcifer wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:Not like this is a record or anything, Powerball nearly reached 400 million once as I recall.
Yeah, right now, it's only the 4th largest jackpot for Powerball. It's just funny how people go completely apeshit buying tickets. I guess I can't blame folks too much though, it's fun to think about winning [Dr.Evil]one quarter billlllion dollars[/Dr.Evil]...
[Dr. Evil]Oops, sorry, I did it again. I meant <dramatic camera zoom in> one quarter trillion dollars.[/Dr. Evil]
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Post by SpacedTeddyBear »

I wouldn't mind a RX-8 though...
An RX-8?!?!? Too hell with that. If I won a quarter million dollars, I'm getting myself a Porche Carrera GT.
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Post by Raptor 597 »

Can I lead your paramilitary organization too overthrow the government? I will need enough money for a half dozen gold AK-74s I hope you don't mind me running with the money. My Dad bought a Powerball hehe good luck to me.
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Post by LadyTevar »

Sir Nitram and I did pretty well ... over the past 2 weeks we've spent $6 on tickets for the various drawings, and won $7.

Considering the odds on winning *anything* in a lottery and coming out ahead, that's pretty good.

Now the big question, folks.. Cash Option, or Paychecks over years? (Cash Option is curretnly $141mil.)
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Post by Drewcifer »

Well, big surpise, I didn't win, so no new computers or fancy cars or Lego ISD's for anyone, at least on my tab :)

As far as cash or annuity? I go back and forth all the time, but I'd probably take the money and run.
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Post by RedImperator »

You know, if the jackpot gets big enough, it would be a worthwhile investment just to buy one ticket for every possible combination of numbers and hope you don't have to split your winnings with anyone else.
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Post by HemlockGrey »

Or you could just bribe whoever runs the scam.
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Post by Admiral Valdemar »

The National Lottery in the UK can be as much as £20M every week, yet the odds are at the very least 14 million to 1.

I also remember a story where the lottery in Texas, I believe, said they'd add an extra ball to the draw and people thought it'd improve their chances.
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Post by Gandalf »

If it's $1 a ticket, and the odds are 250 mil to one, and the prize is 250 mil. Could I theoretically borrow 250 million, buy all the tickets, win it all, and pay it back to the bank?
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Post by phongn »

The odds are 120e6:1, so in theory you could purchase all those tickets and come out ahead. Now, actually sorting those tickets for the right one is a wholly different matter.
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Post by kojikun »

you have to consider taxes. if you buy enough tockets to guarantee a win, the taxes are going to cost most then the tickets and youll have lot money. then theres that fact that other people will likely win as well, so you have to divide the winnings up, then remove the taxes, then you're left with a few tens of millions.

its better to just buy 1 ticket.
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Post by Kelly Antilles »

I live in a state where there are so many damn Southern Baptist that they won't allow a lottery even when nearly everyone in the entire state crosses the line into EVERY BLOODY STATE that borders us to buy tickets. Look at the revenue this state is LOOSING because they're religious zealots.
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