No winner in Powerball drawing, jackpot rolls over to $450M

[Omaha Steve]

Source: WGN

BY ADRIENNE BALOW

CHICAGO – There were no winning tickets sold in Saturday’s Powerball drawing. The jackpot has now rolled over to $450 million dollars for Wednesday’s drawing.

The jackpot surged to $394.5 million Saturday night just before the winning numbers were drawn.

That was the sixth largest jackpot in the game’s history.

It initially climbed to $360 million after no tickets matched all six numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing.

FULL story and video at link.


Read more: http://wgntv.com/2015/02/08/powerball-numbers-drawn-for-394m-jackpot/

[In_The_Wind]

1. We are buying a ticket. It's a small price to pay for a dream.

[underpants]

2. I am definitely making a "stupid tax" payment

It's worth a shot

[Major Nikon]

3. It might be worth noting some of the things more likely to happen than winning...

You have more than 1,000 times better chance of an asteroid or comet killing you -- and that's using the long odds, according to Tulane University.

3. Being attacked by a shark
Odds: 1 in 11.5 million

6. Becoming president of the United States
Odds: 1 in 10 million

8. Being crushed and killed by a vending machine
Odds: 1 in 112 million

10 things more likely to happen than winning the Mega Millions lottery
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/12/17/mega_millions_odds.html?cid=rss

[shraby]

6. It also might be worth noting. You definitely can't win it if you aren't in it.

[tekriter]

7. True

So far, every large jackpot winner in every lottery has had one thing in common...


...a ticket.

[Major Nikon]

9. I've heard that one before

The only time in my life I've ever tried to buy a ticket was when I was browbeaten into joining the office pool. Back then Texas didn't have the powerball so a co-worker sent the money to his son who lived out of state. Come to find out he was an alcoholic and went on a 3 day bender with our money.

It didn't bother me because I only invested a dollar and had zero illusions about winning anything anyway, but now every time someone begs me to join the office lottery pool I remind them about it.

[HubertHeaver]

11. At least that money didn't go to waste!

[Major Nikon]

12. True, but kinda like lighting cigars with legal tender

[HubertHeaver]

22. Lottery ticket....three day bender...lottery ticket....three day bender..

My mind says "three day bender sound like fun"

My heart says "you do that, I quit"

[jmowreader]

35. You can go on a three-day bender for two dollars?

[HubertHeaver]

36. referring to an office pool upthread

Two dollars would just about do me in. Can't handle it anymore.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

15. I used to play more often when I worked in an office.

I didnt want to be "the guy" in the news story that didn't play when all his co-workers won.

[Major Nikon]

17. There's plenty here that don't play, so I don't have to worry much about that

Other than the publicity I wouldn't worry about it anyway. If I ever had a neighbor, relative, or co-worker that wins the lottery, I'd be happy for them, but I still wouldn't miss not playing.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. I just didn't want to be left behind and stuck doing all the work.

[IADEMO2004]

27. Odds are better you will be struck by lightning while being eaten by a shark.

I think I heard that on CNN a few months ago and I force it into as many conversations as I can.

and then I go buy a damn ticket.

[kentauros]

31. However,

lotteries would not exist if there was no chance of winning.

Who cares how hard it is to win? Somebody will win, and that's all that matters.

Unless you happen to know who will win?

[Major Nikon]

37. True, but it kinda reminds me of this...

[kentauros]

38. You can apply that to all of the other examples you gave, too.

Just saying...

[Major Nikon]

39. Sure. That was the whole point.

[kentauros]

40. I don't consider any of your examples funny,

unlike your use of that image from a funny movie.

Being attacked by a shark - not funny
Becoming president of the United States - not funny
Being crushed and killed by a vending machine - not funny

Winning the lottery - not funny, but would be fun. And completely unlike the others mentioned. Plus, who can get elected President for a dollar?

[Major Nikon]

41. They weren't my examples and I don't think they were intended to be funny

Anyone can get elected President for less than a dollar. The trick is to use other people's money.

[BlueJazz]

4. The numbers were>

5-10-21-34-58, with a Powerball of 33 and Power Play of 5.

AhhGGGG I was so close. I hate it when that happens. I picked: 14-25-41-47 powerball of 2

Plus I threw away all the money. 2 dollars.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

16. There should be a prize managing to miss every number.

[kentauros]

32. There's a scratch-off game like that here.

I think they call it "All or Nothing." So, you win if you get all numbers, or if you get no numbers. I don't know what the odds of winning are, but it's an interesting method of playing such a game

(Okay, it's not a scratch-off, but a regular "choose your numbers" kind of game)

[jmowreader]

34. The Washington Lottery has a game like that - "Daily Keno"

You pick from one to ten numbers from a field of 80 and play from $1 to $5. The state draws 20 balls. You have to match at least half the numbers on your ticket to win. If you do ten numbers, they pay $3 if you match no numbers. (If you match all ten you win $100,000 on a $1 ticket and $500,000 on a $5 ticket.)

[AngryAmish]

5. If I win, juice boxes for everyone!!!

[ripcord]

8. You could help a lot of people with that much money

[jmowreader]

13. By "help" I hope you mean "employ"

[hack89]

14. I would give money to my extended family so they didn't have to work.

I have no understanding of what it takes to run a business and don't plan to start at this age.

[jmowreader]

19. That's why you hire people who do

After taxes and everything, a $400 million prize would put about $100 million in your pocket.

I'm thinking of my own situation here, but if I gave $1 million apiece to all the relatives I would give money to (no long-lost relatives here!) and kept a nice chunk for myself, I'd have around $85 million left. Go to any liberal city, present yourself before the city council and tell them, "I have $85 million, I want to start a for-profit manufacturing business in your city, I want to turn a thousand homeless people into employed, taxpaying citizens within 18 months, and if you even think about offering me tax incentives or free land I will pack up my shit and find a town that never heard of those things," you WILL get all the help you need.

Everyone's heard the old saying, "give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish, and he eats for life." But if you open a cannery, the whole town eats.

[hack89]

20. I would rather ensure my family members never work again

and would take more than a million each. Ten million to parents and siblings. Lesser amounts to aunts, uncles and cousins. And of course millions to local charity.

[jmowreader]

23. It would kill my family members if they never had to work again

It'd be good if they had nice paid-off homes and if my Republican brother could have his own tractor-trailer, but none of us could do without having some sort of work.

[hack89]

24. My family is working poor

all have health problems due to decades of working crappy physically demanding jobs.

[jmowreader]

26. Then your plan is right for you

[Habibi]

25. This!

[AndreaCG]

29. I would open a bunch of vegan businesses

And try to do something to help the mentally ill. And be very generous with friends and family

[jmowreader]

33. In a large city, a vegan/fair trade food warehouse could do well

You could be a place vegans and vegan cafe owners could come and KNOW they didn't have to scrutinize labels to be sure they're not getting non-vegan products...because you did it for them.

Thinking abut it...what could be really entertaining and uplifting is to have a contest to pick out ten DUers scattered across America who have great business ideas and the skills to make them work, but who lack money, and seed them well.

[unionthug777]

10. i'm counting on that

for my retirement !!!

[MiniMe]

21. I'm buying 1, and only 1 ticket

Increasing the number of tickets you buy doesn't really statistically increase your chances much, but buying 1 is worth it for the dreams.

[Telcontar]

28. That's the way I usually play

One ticket a week.

On huge payouts, meh. It's entertainment money. I'll toss in a $20 just to fantasize all the way home. Days like this, I let my heart and imagination outvote my brain.

[Earth_First]

30. Still less than the Koch brothers will spend on '16...

Outrageous!