Powerball

[splent]

For our non-US friends, this is a nationwide lottery. $2 a ticket. Tonight's jackpot was over $900 million.

And no one won.

Wednesday's jackpot is right now $1.3 billion, the largest in world history.

[gmillerdrake]

For our non-US friends, this is a nationwide lottery. $2 a ticket. Tonight's jackpot was over $900 million.

And no one won.

Wednesday's jackpot is right now $1.3 billion, the largest in world history.

Wow. No one won, unreal. That thing is $1.8 billion by Wednesday. It's gonna get nuts. 

[Anguyen92]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

[gmillerdrake]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

If it were ......this next drawing would be the time to do it.


I may be considered an idiot....but I'm probably gonna drop about $40 on tix for Wednesday.

[Dark Castle]

I'll do what I did tonight, get a ticket or two, and hope for the best 

[TioJorge]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

If it were ......this next drawing would be the time to do it.


I may be considered an idiot....but I'm probably gonna drop about $40 on tix for Wednesday.

Nah, I'm thinking about doing the same now that I have some cash to spend and planned on doing so if no one won. If we did this every week like some peeps, yeah, idiocy. Once, for the biggest lot EVER? Psh. I'll bet you my lucky left testicle that people are spending A SHITLOAD more on this bout this time around who still won't win. *rubs testicle*

Man, if I ever won anything anywhere close to this amount, let alone 1 billion, the fucking first thing I'd do after not allowing anyone to reveal my name is to move away and get security anyway. You KNOW that shit isn't locked down. Someone, somebody, some crazy mofo out there could find out if they pleased. And with this amount...they'll please. They'll please SO HARD. But with that money you could pay someone to take a bullet for ya no problem.

[black_biff_stadler]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

If it were ......this next drawing would be the time to do it.


I may be considered an idiot....but I'm probably gonna drop about $40 on tix for Wednesday.

Good call getting those odds down to 14.6M:1.

[orcus116]

I'll do what I did tonight, get a ticket or two, and hope for the best 

That's the only way to do it.

[TioJorge]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

If it were ......this next drawing would be the time to do it.


I may be considered an idiot....but I'm probably gonna drop about $40 on tix for Wednesday.

Good call getting those odds down to 14.6M:1.

I mean...it is.

If he was raising the odds, that wouldn't be a good call.

[black_biff_stadler]

When I win the powerball, I'm buying a computer that'll display that broken image.

[TioJorge]

 

C'est la vie.

[black_biff_stadler]

Still love ya, Uncle George

[TioJorge]

 

[Destiny Of Chaos]

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=45474.0

[lordxizor]

What I think is funny is that people line up to buy a ticket to win close to a billion dollars, but not for a couple hundred million. Is a coupe hundred million dollars not worth it?

I will buy one ticket ever now and then. I figure the odds are astronomically low whether I buy one ticket or 100, so I might as well save my money. But you can't win if you don't buy at least one.

[Prog Snob]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

Break into the system. You would need someone who is a programming wiz and someone who can get through the security of the system.

[Gadough]

I'll do what I did tonight, get a ticket or two, and hope for the best 

That's the only way to do it.

Yep. $2 or $4 is worth the very minimal chance of a payout.

[gmillerdrake]

I'll do what I did tonight, get a ticket or two, and hope for the best 

That's the only way to do it.

Yep. $2 or $4 is worth the very minimal chance of a payout.

I get carried away....I'll fill out (5) tix with my own random pic of numbers, have my kiddos each pick a set of numbers then snag 2 Quick pics. That's $20. I'll probably double that for Wednesdays drawing. I know it's a waste and really doesn't improve my odds...but hey.....

[rumborak]

What I think is funny is that people line up to buy a ticket to win close to a billion dollars, but not for a couple hundred million. Is a coupe hundred million dollars not worth it?

Yeah, that is the amusing part. This is one of those psychological effect where people's perception of risk is modulated by the gain, even though it is totally unrelated.

[Tick]

I wonder if it can be possible that anyone in this world can assemble a team, Ocean's 11 style, and try to find some way to get the winning numbers, before it is announced, and get the ticket, win the lotto, and get away with it?

If it were ......this next drawing would be the time to do it.


I may be considered an idiot....but I'm probably gonna drop about $40 on tix for Wednesday.

You are too nice a guy for me to call you an idiot but my take is...
One ticket is all anyone needs. When the odds are 1 in 292,000,000, spending 40 bucks seems like throwing money in the garbage.
In the universe picks you to win that one ticket will be enough.

[gmillerdrake]

One ticket is all anyone needs. When the odds are 1 in 292,000,000, spending 40 bucks seems like throwing money in the garbage.
In the universe picks you to win that one ticket will be enough.

I 'understand' the odds...it all makes sense. More tix isn't going to increase my odds....I get it. But it just feels like I gave it more of an effort if I buy more than one ticket   

[Chino]

One ticket is all anyone needs. When the odds are 1 in 292,000,000, spending 40 bucks seems like throwing money in the garbage.
In the universe picks you to win that one ticket will be enough.

I 'understand' the odds...it all makes sense. More tix isn't going to increase my odds....I get it. But it just feels like I gave it more of an effort if I buy more than one ticket 

That's what the people who run the lottery want you to think. There are a few guys in a board room somewhere laughing their asses off right now at how insane this has become. I'd love to know what percentage the lottery keeps.

[Implode]

You guys keep saying the odds are terrible. Actually the odds are amazingly in your favor. In the mathematical long run and world of odds, it's free money.

What's actually awful is the probability. None of us will probably win so...Oh well. It's still fun to dream.

[TioJorge]

So yeah I totally went back on my 40 dollar spending spree of tickets after the guy in front of me, who I'd just like to add (nojudgementnojudgementyou'recool) looked like Rickety Cricket from Always Sunny...spent...500 bucks...on tickets. That could have been that man's life savings. I think it was. I'm seriously. So I got a really deep, dark pit in my stomach, bought some doritos, a sweet tea, and two lotto tickets.

I just...I....I...

[Implode]

It's depressing to go to casinos when you notice all the addicted gamblers throwing away their life savings. I feel you. It's a sad and dark side of humanity.

[Chino]

It's depressing to go to casinos when you notice all the addicted gamblers throwing away their life savings. I feel you. It's a sad and dark side of humanity.

My girlfriend's mother probably loses a good $10k per year to Mohegan. She doesn't realize it because she "gets lucky" and is "blessed" on slot machines which pay out a few thousand here and there, and she gets free hotel rooms every time she goes.

[Prog Snob]

My ex-wife has that same mentality. I always explain to her that they aren't "free" rooms because she probably spent thousands to get that room.   

[cramx3]

You guys keep saying the odds are terrible. Actually the odds are amazingly in your favor. In the mathematical long run and world of odds, it's free money.

What's actually awful is the probability. None of us will probably win so...Oh well. It's still fun to dream.

I'm not sure what you mean that the odds are in your favor and how this is free money.

Found this cool article about expected return of purchasing a powerball ticket using the money in the pot today.

https://thefederalist.com/2016/01/12/with-the-jackpot-at-1-4-billion-is-it-finally-rational-to-purchase-a-powerball-ticket/

What’s the end result? A whopping expected payout of $1.12…on a ticket that cost you $2. Once you add in the expected payouts from all the other potential Powerball prizes, that number increases to $1.32. And again, that assumes you live in a state with no income taxes.

So right now, given the advertised cash payout and the number of people playing, it does not make financial sense to purchase a Powerball ticket. That said, we’re not all that far off from a jackpot that might justify the purchase of a ticket. If the lump sum cash payout (not the annuity value) increases to $1.4 billion, and the number of tickets sold hovers around 500 million, the total expected payout of a $2 Powerball ticket will be $2.01, making the purchase of a ticket a rational decision in pure mathematical terms.

[gmillerdrake]

It's depressing to go to casinos when you notice all the addicted gamblers throwing away their life savings. I feel you. It's a sad and dark side of humanity.

My girlfriend's mother probably loses a good $10k per year to Mohegan. She doesn't realize it because she "gets lucky" and is "blessed" on slot machines which pay out a few thousand here and there, and she gets free hotel rooms every time she goes.

Don't get me started.....my mother is the same way. She has NO money yet is at the Casino all the time. She gets these 'free' rooms, buffets and so on and then in the rare instance she 'wins' a few hundred or a grand here and there......she's quick to say 'I won $1,500' last night at the casino.


Umm.....no you didn't Mom. What's sad is for as much as I love my mother she thinks that money will solve all her problems where she can't see that her love for it has caused them all. It was a major factor in her and my dad getting a divorce due to her uncontrollable gambling.....and she honestly thinks that $$ is happiness. It's sad to watch really. And, she would be one of those people should she hit the Powerball that would end up with the 'cursed' story because it'd only magnify her issues.

[Chino]

I'd love to try and explain that the slot machines are programmed to give her a pay out when the algorithms determine she's getting ready to get up and leave. They have her on file and know her gambling habits based on her players' card. They are programmed to guarantee the casino a profit. But every now and then, Mohegan posts a picture of someone with a huge check on their FB and probably reinforces the idea in her head that she's next.

[cramx3]

I'd love to try and explain that the slot machines are programmed to give her a pay out when the algorithms determine she's getting ready to get up and leave. They have her on file and know her gambling habits based on her players card. They are programmed to guarantee the Casino a profit. But every now and then, Mohegan posts a picture of someone with a huge check on their FB and probably reinforces the idea in her head that she's next.

I've known many people who have won $1000+ from a slot machine.  But granted, it makes me wonder how much did they gamble away first and I usually don't get a straight or honest answer.

I love going to casinos for the night life (Vegas and AC), but I'm not a huge gambler.  I was in AC Saturday night and only played one game, a $40 bet on red in roulette, I won and walked away.  Paid for my entrance to the club.

[Chino]

There are two things I'll gamble on in a casino: 1) The poker room 2) The Avatar slot machines (I'll usually drop a $20 in)

[Prog Snob]

There are two things I'll gamble on in a casino: 1) The poker room 2) The Avatar slot machines (I'll usually drop a $20 in)

I did that when they released the Lord of the Rings slot machine.   

[cramx3]

That's another way they get you, big shiney cool looking machine!

[rumborak]

One ticket is all anyone needs. When the odds are 1 in 292,000,000, spending 40 bucks seems like throwing money in the garbage.
In the universe picks you to win that one ticket will be enough.

I bought a ticket now just for shits and giggles, but yeah, that's exactly my take. There is marginal difference between 1:300,000,000 or 2:300,000,000. As you say, if the universe picks you, it picks you. It doesn't need more options than that

(and no, I never gamble. Just wanted to join in on the hilarity)