1.3 Billion USD PowerBall Jackpot

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I don't really understand that mentality of jumping into lotteries with a massive jackpot. So people are thinking pfft, $100 mil is no biggie - but I gotta get on that train if it's $1 billion! Don't you have much lower odds of winning when so many people buy tickets?

I'd rather have X odd of winning $1 million than X/10 odd of winning $10 million or X/1000 odds of winning $100 million.

I was just thinking the same thing. The bigger they get the harder they are to win, and no one need a billion dollars anyway. This is from someone who has never bought a lottery ticket or played a slot machine but I don't get the appeal. To each his/her own. If anyone here wins, your second call should be to Slava for financial advice.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I was just thinking the same thing. The bigger they get the harder they are to win, and no one need a billion dollars anyway. This is from someone who has never bought a lottery ticket or played a slot machine but I don't get the appeal. To each his/her own. If anyone here wins, your second call should be to Slava for financial advice.

Really you wouldn't buy a ticket for something like this? I mean yeah, the odds are totally not in your favour and its likely a waste of money. Thing is as disciplined as I am financially, I've wasted money on worse things. If its really $2 for a ticket, I've bought coffee for more than that and that's basically an hour worth of satisfaction. This would be life-changing wealth for your grandchildrens-grandchildren kind of thing. Just a staggering amount of money, and for $2, that is worth the risk.

But yeah, if someone wins this and needs help give me a call. In all seriousness the first thing you should do (after you come down to earth) is set up some things to protect yourself, and one of those things is to protect yourself from your own stupidity. I would if it were me.

[polak]

Pfft. When I win, I'm building a canal from Calgary to Vancouver to act as a driveway for my yacht.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

My guess is if the winner somehow came from a ticket purchased via thelotter.com, an endless amount of litigation and court battles would follow- powerball not wanting to pay, other first hand ticket purchasers crying foul etc. Have a hard time believing it would be a simple process if you won via a 3rd party purchase.

I just read an article saying that online lotto resellers are illegal at the state level and federally. It's gonna be a huge mess if someone wins using an online retailer.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I just read an article saying that online lotto resellers are illegal at the state level and federally. It's gonna be a huge mess if someone wins using an online retailer.

link?

if that's true I need to stop A LOT of people from buyi... wait a minute.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by polak

link?

if that's true I need to stop A LOT of people from buyi... wait a minute.

(Washington state lottery officials told CTV News that what online lottery-ticket resellers are doing is actually illegal, both in Washington state and federally.)

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/20...ws-to-13b.html

Second last paragraph.

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

Hopefully CalgaryNEXT has bought a ticket.

If CP won the Powerball could we not buy the Flames and go with Bunks location for the new stadium?

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Slava

Really you wouldn't buy a ticket for something like this? I mean yeah, the odds are totally not in your favour and its likely a waste of money. Thing is as disciplined as I am financially, I've wasted money on worse things. If its really $2 for a ticket, I've bought coffee for more than that and that's basically an hour worth of satisfaction. This would be life-changing wealth for your grandchildrens-grandchildren kind of thing. Just a staggering amount of money, and for $2, that is worth the risk.

But yeah, if someone wins this and needs help give me a call. In all seriousness the first thing you should do (after you come down to earth) is set up some things to protect yourself, and one of those things is to protect yourself from your own stupidity. I would if it were me.

Nope, not interested. Neither of us has ever bought a ticket. Occasionally someone has given me one as a gift. If that happens this time and I'm a winner you can bet I won't be calling you for advice; I have my own guy.

By the way, you need to drink your coffee faster.

[Da_Chief]

What other site can you buy it from? thelotter is down.

[Otto-matic]

No deal McCutcheon, that moon money is mine!

[CliffFletcher]

I guess I see $1.3 mil as life-changing, and I don't buy tickets for those lotteries. Personally, I don't see how $1.3 billion is more life-changing, or would make me more happy in any practical way. So if I can't be arsed to buy lottery tickets for $1.3 mil jackpots, I can't for $1.3 billion either.

If there was a lottery for $13 billion, would even more people get excited - people for whom $1.3 billion just wasn't enticing enough?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I guess I see $1.3 mil as life-changing, and I don't buy tickets for those lotteries. Personally, I don't see how $1.3 billion is more life-changing, or would make me more happy in any practical way. So if I can't be arsed to buy lottery tickets for $1.3 mil jackpots, I can't for $1.3 billion either.

If there was a lottery for $13 billion, would even more people get excited - people for whom $1.3 billion just wasn't enticing enough?

There is a huge difference though. At $1.3mm I don't know if I could retire. Maybe. I couldn't help others though, or not much. It might sound incredibly greedy, but with $1.3mm at my age you really couldn't do that much. Don't get me wrong, I would cash the cheque! I would be thrilled, but its not as much money as it sounds like.

With $1.3bn though you can help a lot of people, do a lot and still have lots leftover. So its life-changing in each case, but there is a big difference.

[CaptainCrunch]

At 1.3 billion, I could probably buy the Conservative Party Leadership and the Prime Ministers job, and then suspend democracy, while at the same time purchasing the Oilers new building and then making it into the worlds largest septic tank, we're I'd spend an hour every day pooping into it.

Being rich like that would be glorious.

Revenge first and then the hookers and coke.

[Yanda]

Power Ball Amount - 1.3 Billion
USA Population - 319 Million

If they split it evenly that would be 4.075 Million per person. Everyone would be multi-millionaires.

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Power Ball Amount - 1.3 Billion
USA Population - 319 Million

If they split it evenly that would be 4.075 Million per person. Everyone would be multi-millionaires.

Umm...math?

That would be $4.08 per person. Dollars not millions of dollars.

Good enough for one Starbucks drink though!

[Yanda]

Well its a good thing I still have my good looks

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Power Ball Amount - 1.3 Billion
USA Population - 319 Million

If they split it evenly that would be 4.075 Million per person. Everyone would be multi-millionaires.

Wow

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Power Ball Amount - 1.3 Billion
USA Population - 319 Million

If they split it evenly that would be 4.075 Million per person. Everyone would be multi-millionaires.

Looks like CP needs to have a skill testing question to be able to post too....

[Trojan97]

Originally Posted by Yanda

Power Ball Amount - 1.3 Billion
USA Population - 319 Million

If they split it evenly that would be 4.075 Million per person. Everyone would be multi-millionaires.

[burnin_vernon]

In for the CP group buy. I have bought exactly one lottery ticket in my life. This will make a good second.