1.3 Billion USD PowerBall Jackpot

[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.

[Northendzone]

i was thinking that it would be interesting to see a report on how many of the possible number combinations have not been selected

[Coach]

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.

The odds of winning either one are so astronomical that any difference, no matter how great, seems negligible.

If you were buying the $1mil tickets for probability reasons, you'd be buying them every week. The large prize amount gives someone like me the incentive to spend a little money on some tickets because I don't expect to win anything at all regardless of the prize, might as well take a shot at the big one.

*** As an aside, I don't think the total necessarily means more tickets are being purchased. Honestly don;t really have a clue about how the powerball works probability wise, but conventional lotteries carry prize amounts from weeks with no winners into the next week. That's why the totals increase until someone wins. That doesn't necessarily mean that more people buy when a Lotto Max is at $50 mil than when it's at $15. Although there probably is just because people like me enter the game because the total is the incentive.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i read that you can take the entire winnings over 30 yrs, or take something like $800 million one time payment.

Hard to imagine your bank account showing a balance of $800,000,000......I wonder if the winner would suffenly qualify to be on the list of america's richest people

It depends how far down the list you want to go, and how you define America's richest people. The richest American is Bill Gates, worth $76 billion. As of March 2015, the U.S. has 536 billionaires. So, no, you wouldn't make it anywhere that list, but you would still have more money than about 320 million Americans.

[rohara66]

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.

Has anyone confirmed that Canadian can win via thelotter.com yet? I agree the legal loopholes might be a pain in the ass but lots of people purchasing through it.

[calgarygeologist]

If it wasn't a 4 hour drive to the border I would pick up some tickets.

Maybe if enough people want to pool money together for tickets it would be tempting enough to go down to Sweetgrass. I would have to include a fuel surcharge.

[polak]

lol people worry about the odds for the lotto? The odds are so unbelievably small, who cares?

When I buy a lotto ticket it's for the ability to think about how all of your dreams would come true overnight. That's the fun part.

And hey, somebody is going to win it. Right now, there is someone walking around this continent who will soon be 1.3 billion dollars richer.

P.S. This article says that the lotto is open to non-us citizens and they just get taxed 5% more than Americans.

http://www.moneysense.ca/spend/what-...rball-lottery/

[polak]

If I won, I'd make an instagram account called "Dan Bilzerian is a poor little bitch" and put him to shame.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

If it wasn't a 4 hour drive to the border I would pick up some tickets.

Maybe if enough people want to pool money together for tickets it would be tempting enough to go down to Sweetgrass. I would have to include a fuel surcharge.

Why the hell not, I'd be in for a group buy
I waste more money at bars on the weekend.

[undercoverbrother]

I texted a crazy girl I knew in Seattle to buy tickets.

Might have to get her to do it again.

[polak]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I texted a crazy girl I knew in Seattle to buy tickets.

Might have to get her to do it again.

lol you think she will just give you the winnings just like that?

I don't care how close you are to someone, if they buy you a ticket and it's the winner, you're not getting it without some sort of massive legal battle.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by polak

lol you think she will just give you the winnings just like that?

I don't care how close you are to someone, if they buy you a ticket and it's the winner, you're not getting it without some sort of massive legal battle.

I feel sadness for your friendships.


Regardless, my faith in humanity survives.

[polak]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I feel sadness for your friendships.


Regardless, my faith in humanity survives.

A billion dollars buys a lot of friends.

She paid for the ticket. Maybe a lawyer can chime in but would it be possible for her to win a legal battle over the money? Contract or not.

[squiggs96]

Since 2011, 1 in 4 auto collisions involved cellphones. People, including ones here, think, "That'll never happen to me".

The odds of winning this lottery are 1 in 292,000,000. People, including ones here, think, "Why not? It could happen to me"!

[oilyfan]

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.

The odds of "winning" are independent of how many people buy tickets, the odds are only dependent on the on the numbers you can pick from. The only difference is there is now a bigger chance that multiple people will pick the same number, thereby splitting the jackpot. But then the jackpot is much bigger because so many people are playing it, so it evens out.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Why the hell not, I'd be in for a group buy
I waste more money at bars on the weekend.

I'll see if the CP community is interested as I have nothing better to do this week.

Here is what I would propose:
$35CAD buy in (minimum of 10 - $2USD Powerball tickets plus approximately $5CAD to cover fuel and a rental car)
25 participants at a minimum (I'll buy additional tickets as more people get involved and my costs get distribute more as I'm not trying to make money off any one)
Email Money Transfers would have to be submitted by Tuesday evening (midnight)
I'll drive down Wednesday morning and email copies of the tickets once I have them
Jackpot or any winnings over $10,000 will be redeemed and distributed evenly
Any winnings under $10,000 will be redeemed for additional Powerball tickets for a future draw

What do you guys think? Any takers?

Entrants:

1. Calgarygeologist
2. Slava
3. Yoho
4. Username
5. burnin_vernon
6. TSXCman
7. Swarly
8. killer_Carlson
9. newts
10. Baxter Renegade
11. woob
12. ahichicken
13. tron_fdc
14. chummer
15. regulator75

[CMPunk]

Last time we gave someone money, it didn't work out so well.

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I'll see if the CP community is interested as I have nothing better to do this week.

Here is what I would propose:
$35CAD buy in (minimum of 10 - $2USD Powerball tickets plus approximately $5CAD to cover fuel and a rental car)
25 participants at a minimum (I'll buy additional tickets as more people get involved and my costs get distribute more as I'm not trying to make money off any one)
Email Money Transfers would have to be submitted by Tuesday evening (midnight)
I'll drive down Wednesday morning and email copies of the tickets once I have them
Jackpot or any winnings over $10,000 will be redeemed and distributed evenly
Any winnings under $10,000 will be redeemed for additional Powerball tickets for a future draw

What do you guys think? Any takers?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I'll see if the CP community is interested as I have nothing better to do this week.

Here is what I would propose:
$35CAD buy in (minimum of 10 - $2USD Powerball tickets plus approximately $5CAD to cover fuel and a rental car)
25 participants at a minimum (I'll buy additional tickets as more people get involved and my costs get distribute more as I'm not trying to make money off any one)
Email Money Transfers would have to be submitted by Tuesday evening (midnight)
I'll drive down Wednesday morning and email copies of the tickets once I have them
Jackpot or any winnings over $10,000 will be redeemed and distributed evenly
Any winnings under $10,000 will be redeemed for additional Powerball tickets for a future draw

What do you guys think? Any takers?

In. I know the odds are small, but I don't want to be reading this thread next week if it works and I'm not in!

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Slava

In. I know the odds are small, but I don't want to be reading this thread next week if it works and I'm not in!

The worst would be the only person in an office to not buy-in on the group tickets.

[Swift]

Originally Posted by canada_hdk21

I am down in Florida working as a Canadian

What does that job involve? Going around being nice to people and saying "Eh" a lot?