Powerball is a projected $800 damn million

[NightWatcher]

I think I might have to max out my credit cards on lotto tix tomorrow.



I got your financial planning right here!















Kidding, I found out today that you cannot get lotto tickets with credit cards when I tried to get a quick pick and a Redbull and the guy told me I'd have to pay cash for the lottery ticket. That's a smart move.

[sufrommich]

1. We're close to a billion dollar lottery. It may get there. nt

[yeoman6987]

43. I bought 20 dollars worth

I've spent worse with my money. Lol. You never know maybe I can win a free ticket.

[Snobblevitch]

51. You did increase your odds of winning the jackpot by buying ten tickets

instead of just one ticket. Your odds went from 1 in 292,000,000 to 1 in 291,999,998.

[yeoman6987]

53. Hey! See I am careful with money afterall. Lol.

[KingCharlemagne]

67. I believe his odds went from 1 in 292,000,000 to 10 in

292,000,000. But I'm open to hearing from our resident math and statistics whizzes.

[Snobblevitch]

70. When I signed up to DU,

I was told there was no math requirement. You are, of course, correct.

However, with so many combinations of numbers sold, it seems likely that there will be a winning ticket, and orobably more than one.

What the hell will the nation talk about ither than Powerball if a winning ticket is not drawn tomorrow night?

[joeybee12]

2. Don't worry...when I win the jackpot tomorrow...

It won't change me.

[Initech]

26. When I win, I will be at LAX waiting to board a plane to Tahiti.

[joeybee12]

30. Really?

Because I'll be there, too! I'll be sure to send a postcard!

[HereSince1628]

35. why would you as a 3/4 billionaire wait to board a plane ??????????

You're gonna need a coach to help you act in a manner appropriate to your hundreds of millions.

Please send me a PM and we can work out a plan to change your life.

[Initech]

38. True, I could buy a plane!

No more frequent flyer miles!

[yellowcanine]

65. By the time all taxes are paid it would "only" be a half billion or so.

[KingCharlemagne]

69. A half-billion here and a half-billion there and pretty soon you're

talking about real money!

[hifiguy]

40. I'd be headed for New Zealand myself.

Lovely country, friendly folks and they speak something very like English. Andvery far away from everything if the feces ever hit the impeller.

Seriously, I'd keep $50 million and use the rest to fund everything that drives reichwingers and religulous nuts batshit crazy. Oh, what fun that would be.

[Initech]

49. If I had that kind of cash I'd totally do stuff like that too!

I'd be funding pro choice causes, LGBT causes, pro immigration causes, donate to campaigns, you name it.

[hifiguy]

50. Yup. Just watching the heads explode

would be much more than worth it.

[In_The_Wind]

3. I bought tickets earlier today.

[GummyBearz]

4. The winner could...

have enough money to make a late republican presidential bid. He/she could out spend trump, and winning the debates is easy enough

[Renew Deal]

13. lol

[safeinOhio]

5. If I win

I'm taking half of it to the casino down the street. Hire a bunch of expensive party girls. Buy all the booze and drugs they want.
The other half I'm just going to piss off.

[dhill926]

42. haha....

[JoePhilly]

6. MINE!!!!!

[MrWendel]

7. When we get...

$30 mill Lottmax jackpots here is exciting.....FML.

[sufrommich]

11. We have tons of Canadians crossing the Windsor/Detroit bridge when

the lotto gets huge. Wouldn't it be something if a Canadian won?

[KamaAina]

17. Maybe Scott Walker was onto something about that wall after all

[juxtaposed]

8. what comes after a thousand millions?

[NightWatcher]

12. Oprah bucks

I read a story about if you win that you'll be richer than... and it listed a lot of musicians. Buying a ticket at the gas station shouldn't make you worth more than Bono, Ringo, ...

But I'll take it anywhoo

[sufrommich]

15. A brazillion. nt

[hifiguy]

59. Krillions.

Or something that has to be rendered in scientific notation.

[Renew Deal]

9. When is it?

[NightWatcher]

14. Saturday night at 11p

[bluedigger]

10. I just gave my room mate a dollar to get me a ticket when she goes into town.

Told her there's a Jackson in it for her if I hit.

[Mosby]

27. Tickets are 2 bucks each

[bluedigger]

34. Thanks!

Good thing I caught her before she left. She would have wanted to split it.

[cwydro]

16. I never get why people suddenly buy tickets when the jackpot is really high.

Is a simple million or 3 not enough?

[Nye Bevan]

18. The fair value of a lottery ticket is the expected prize times the probability of winning.

Most of the time the fair value of a ticket is well below its cost, meaning that buying the ticket is irrational. But this changes when the jackpot becomes absolutely huge.

[cwydro]

20. Ah, well.

It still makes no sense to me lol.

But I never buy them; I always forget!

[ileus]

22. 800 million buck winners would be more fun IMHO.

[Snobblevitch]

33. That's been tried and the ticket sales were low.

Minnesota used to have a game called Daily Millions. It was a numbers game and the odds were much better than Powerball. It might work in another state, but human nature (greed) gets people to buy when the jackpots get huge.

I don't play often, I may or may not buy a ticket.

I cannot imagine only a single winning ticket for this drawing.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

56. Not really.

3 million would be nice but I only play in large jackpots that would be enough to set up myself, family and friends for life. Even then I only buy 1 ticket at a time.

[yellowcanine]

63. It is the chance to be filthy rich. 1-3 mill is chump change in comparison.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

19. if I win - I can lunch with Hillary

"cut it out"

[zappaman]

21. The guy who sold me a ticket assured me it was the winner.

So, I'm already spending money like there's no tomorrow!

[Glassunion]

24. Mee too! It's a shame we'll have to split the jackpot.

I just bought this with my Amex... Thank God there is no preset spending limit.

[Glassunion]

23. Lottery: A tax for people who are bad at math.

I know the odds. No way in hell will I win.

I'm picking up some tickets on my way home.

[Atman]

29. Your odds are as good as anyone's, so what the hell.

At roughly 280,000,000/1 odds, I don't see that it makes much sense to spend a lot of money on tickets. Spending $100 does not significantly increase your odds. So, though I never play the lottery, I did pick up two tickets when I bought gas today. What the hell. I can afford to lose $4, and my odds are as good as anybody elses.

[Atman]

31. Here is what to do with the winnings...

[Kaleva]

25. If I win, I'll donate to DU and get a star.

[NightWatcher]

39. Don't buy a star. If you win you can buy DU and exact revenge upon your enemies

Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women.

[phylny]

28. My husband and I had a fun time in the car today

talking about what we would do with the money, giving substantial funds to:

Our three children.
Our three siblings.
Our 12 nieces and nephews.
Our local school district.
Our universities.
Our church.
Our community.
One or two friends in need.

Of course, we haven't bought a ticket - husband said, "Might as well throw my wallet out the window."

It was a fun way to spend some time, dreaming

[grasswire]

32. It is fun.

I have two tickets, but I have planned my course of action since the last big jackpot.

First thing I do is tell my cousin the cop to quit his job immediately and come work for me as security. He says it will cost me six figures. Hell! That's cheap, says I.

[Kaleva]

37. Good list!

[philosslayer]

36. Everyone has a fantasy

Mine's a little different, but the first thing I'd do is get a real nice car. Nothing horribly flashy, but maybe a nice big BMW 750i. Then i'd take a nice solitary cross country tip, staying in cheap hotels and eating at waffle houses at like.... 2 am. And leaving $1000 tips to the waitresses and housekeepers. I figure if you're working at waffle house or are the housekeeper at a cheap hotel, you probably need to the money.

It would be fun.

[a kennedy]

46. OMGOSH..... love you for this. Now that is the way to spend the money. eom.

[MohRokTah]

41. I'd rather win the Megamillions tonight.

If you win the Megamillions tonight, there would be no spotlight on you like there would be winning the Powerball tomorrow.

[Snobblevitch]

45. The best thing that could happen is

for there to be multiple winning tickets that include groups of people.

Your right, a person would be better off winning a small jackpot of multi-millions rather than one that is sure to get national attention.

Winning millions of dollars in a lottery does one of two things to a person/family. If they are basically good people, it will make them better. If they are basically bad, it could destroy them.

[yeoman6987]

48. Good point!

[a kennedy]

44. D*MN, I just found out THE D*MN TICKETS ARE 2.00 a piece......

So, ok, we bought 10.00 worth. and what are the odds again??? We all dream of winning.

[Renew Deal]

54. The odds are the same as if the pot was $1 million

Good luck

[Snobblevitch]

55. The minimum Powerball jackpot is $40 million.

But you are correct, the odds don't change because of the size of the jackpot. The odds don't change because of the the number of tickets sold. The odds of more than one winning ticket increase with the number of tickets sold.

[Renew Deal]

57. Correct

I can live with splitting $800 million a few ways.

[Snobblevitch]

62. I would rather win the minimum jackpot on the drawing

after this jackpot is won. Talk about sliding under the radar.

Edit to add: i really can't get my arms around this much money. Since winning a lottery jackpot of this size is a very public thing, people will come from everywhere asking for money. I have a large extrnded family that is quite close, what do I say to them if they ask for money? (They're all doing ok, none lf them are destitute.) I have relatives in the old country (part of the former USSR) and am in e-mail contact with two second cousins. Hell, I've met both of these second cousins, but I probably have 50+ second cousins whom I have never met who live within 100 miles of our place (other side of the family). I guess I'm over thinking this whole Powerball thing. I think I'll save myself the grief and not buy a ticket.

[a kennedy]

58. and remember.......chances of you winning are.....

more than 1 in 292 million. But the odds are a bit better for the lesser prizes — 1 in less than 12 million for the $1 million, 1 in 913,000 for the $50,000 and 1 in 14,000 for $100.

So don't toss your ticket if you don't match every single number.

[Rosco T.]

60. .. and the chances of you winning if you don't buy one

is zero. Just simple math. Worth trying a couple bucks on it.

[a kennedy]

66. we're buying ours tomorrow.....and at a couple different places. I'd die if we won. eom

[FLPanhandle]

47. Proof there are no such things as psychics. nt

[KamaAina]

52. I look upon this as a grand sociological experiment

How long will it take me to turn into a rich asshole, if at all?

[ohnoyoudidnt]

61. I've heard money enhances who you are not

exactly changes you. So say a DUer and Freeper both won and split the jackpot, it would be interesting to see the results.

[jwirr]

64. I am joining the line tonight. Going to buy a couple of them.

Not really expecting to win but what the hell - might as well try.

[Autumn Colors]

68. In some states, you can claim the prize anonymously

Here in Connecticut, you can form an LLC or a trust (and send an attorney to claim it and do the press conference). I would think that the fewer people who know, the less grief one would have in the long run.

I'm with the people who would donate to candidates and causes that would make rightwing heads explode ... but as someone who has lost a home to foreclosure and had lost her health insurance (and is now on Medicaid, thanks to the ACA), I'd give a large portion to Rolling Jubilee to use to buy and forgive others' medical debt. They can buy the debt at around 5 cents on the dollar. Think about it, each million could buy and forgive $20 million in medical debt. Would try to make that a regular yearly donation from whatever interest could be earned on all that money. I know what it's like to feel desperate, and that could help so many start over.

Nice to dream. I'll be buying a few tickets tomorrow.