The odds of winning this week’s Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
I’ve written about Powerball before in Why can’t I get struck by lightning just once?
But people still think that they might win the 1.3 billion (about 20 bucks and change after taxes)? Get real.
Please, that’s like saying Justin Bieber might not have ruined the Mayan ruins forever.
To help you put things into perspective, here are some other odds:
1 in 292.2 million: The odds I will find even a single dirty penny on the ground.
1 in 500 million: The odds that Justin Bieber will visit a highly-respected location and not drop his pants.
1 in 3: The odds I will drop my pants at any given time.
1 in infinity X infinity to the nth power: The odds Donald Trump will say anything remotely intelligent and/or not offensive.
1 in 2.3 trillion: The odds Donald Trump will get struck by lightning, rendering him permanently speechless.
1 in 1: The odds I will open the dishwasher and get in an argument with my husband over whether the dishes are clean or not.
1 in 1: The odds I will look in the mirror in the morning and die a little inside.
1 in 1: The odds my mother will find some way to work guilt into our conversation.
1 in 1: The odds I will not win the Powerball.
Okay, I’d love to crunch more numbers for you guys but I have to go wait in line to buy more tickets. Wish me luck.
And if I win, I promise you will never hear from me again.
Because I’ll be too busy droppin’ trou in Justin Bieber’s front yard.
So, if you DID win, what would you do first?
And the second thing would be to give me the rest of your money, right?
She's A Maineiac 
First!
Let me tell you something…That money is going to ruin someone. And I’m not joking. I’m sure that you and everyone else thinks you could handle it. But what you can’t control is how people are going to treat you. And believe me, you’re going to be treated differently. It’s not going to be all great. I prayed to God I don’t win. What a nightmare!
See how I turned winning $1.3 billion into a negative? That’s my talent. My wife can’t get enough of it.
It’s funny but I also said the same things to my husband. Why would anyone want that much money? Think of the misery! Think of how many god-awful people would suddenly want to be your friend? (shudders) I’d rather be broke and have real friends. Real friends who happened to win the powerball.
Owning a boat or a swimming pool is an excellent analogy. Do you know how much work it is, and how expensive it is, to own a boat or a pool? They’re a ginormous pain in the ass. Best to have friends with boats and pools. We’re a pretty happy foursome and I’m confident that $1.3B would put that to a quick halt. I’d lost my mind and take up with an Asian girl half my age named Yum-Yum and my daughters would hate me for the rest of their lives.
True, money can’t buy happiness. I think John Lennon said once you have your basic needs met, the rest doesn’t matter in the end. Your problems will still be there. There are plenty of really rich and miserable people out there. But a tiny part of me would like to see if that’s true if just for a short time.
Well, if you do happen to accidentally win, you might be able to convince Darla or me to help you get rid of the ticket, because we’re your friends and friends help each other.
Something tells me whoever wins is going to have more friends than they ever imagined they have. Yet, despite my relentless negativity, I still bought a ticket. I wonder if there’s s name for my condition?
I think you just want to be one of those people who can actually buy those overpriced pieces of art, rather than
….rather than just writing about them on your blog.
True, I’ve seen how winning can ruin people. But if I won, couldn’t I just buy an island, have some plastic surgery, buy new mega-rich friends and disappear?
My thoughts exactly.
I’m not buying tickets because I don’t need the money. I’m gonna make my billions being a world famous writer. The odds are about as good.
I’m SO with you on that one, Steve. Maybe if we put our writerly heads together, we can double our odds of not becoming world famous.
Or blogging. Yes. Blogging is the fast road to riches for sure. 🙂
You mean it ISN’T? Well, then why am I doing this for?!
For the fame? Oh, wait…
You’d better not win. I want to keep hearing from you. If I won, I’d take my kid out of school, hire a tutor for him and travel around the world as a family. I’d find some charitable works to support. And once we settled back down (assuming traveling would eventually get old) I’d get a big enough house- on the ocean- that I could have a Great Dane and a Saint Bernard. Oh, and I’d buy a better camera with all professional series lenses.
Good plan. After I donate to charities, I also plan to buy a gigantic house on the ocean in Hawaii. I’ll let you visit if you’d like. You can stay in my 50,000 sq. foot guest house.
I am a worthy charity … and you don’t even have to win the lottery to donate to me. 🙂
When I win, Darla, I will contract you to blog more often at a high salary. Because I will do good things with the money. Hear that, God?
I would blog more even just for free candy at this point.
Where should I send your candy? 😉
I can’t believe I didn’t win on Saturday. I held the winning ticket, but my numbers weren’t picked. Looks like I’ll have to wait until Wednesday, then I’ll have a blog party like it’s 1999! Don’t worry. I’ll slip you a few bucks.
Much appreciated, Susie. But I think you’re sadly mistaken because I’m going to win. I am buying FIVE tickets later today, all with random computer-generated numbers. You really can’t go wrong with that strategy.
We thought it was huge when our lottery got to £60m this past weekend! Mind you, you automatically get the whole lot in one go here when you win the lottery, no tax to pay, no payout over 20 years, or a taking a smaller amount as a lump sum, you just get the lot as the advertised prize, so actually £60m is pretty huge really! I could get myself some real pretty stuff with that I can tell you. If you do win Darla, just remember to tick the “No publicity” box, otherwise you’ll get every nutter from every corner of the globe contacting you for their share! (But obviously tell me you’ve won).
“No publicity” is not an option here. Your name has to be released by law so that nobody suspects chicanery in the lottery office. Your name is splattered all over the media. Hardly worth 1.3 billion! Or is it…?
Oh really! Over here you have the option of no publicity, but most people don’t choose it and I never understand why, maybe they like the idea of the fame and don’t realise all the nasty repercussions. The lottery people must spin them a good line too about why they shouldn’t tick it – I bet they say to them that it will leak out eventually so they may as well get it over with or something.
I’d think it’d be worth it…but then I really don’t know if I’m ready to handle being tracked down by all those money-hungry lost-lost cousins of mine. And my husband and kids.
And me.
Oh, that’s right. And you.
Who are you again…?
[yells] Bodyguards! Get this man out of my sight!
(see, I’ve been practicing how to be rich and cruel, I think I’ll be just fine)
Note to self: Move to England.
Other note to self: Find out what the fancy L means. (My guess is “lotsa”?)
Lotsa, or also pounds sterling, we’re not in the Euro here in England.
If I did win, I’d give my parents the whole thing! Let them get the headache of all the financial management. Me? I’ll be living the life as a heiress to a huge fortune.
That is a solid plan. But I’m afraid my 82-year-old mom would just blow it all on knitting yarn and those little hard butterscotch candies she hoards.
I’d never wear high heels again.
And I’d pay off the student loans of everyone I’ve ever met.
Then go play the slots in Vegas. Because that always works out in the movies. *nods head; thumbs up*
I never wear high heels now. And paying off my own student loan would take most of the money. But slots in Vegas? I AM SO THERE. Nothing could possible go wrong!
Wait, I thought you wore high heels and sexy bras in Target?!?
Sexy bras, of course. Heels? Well, let’s say I have to keep my posture steady for those sudden exploding-cannonball moments.
I’ve already won. Just waiting for the drawing to tell everyone about it.
Me too. I figure if I think about it enough, it’s gonna happen.
I’d wish for three more wishes…
Hmm…maybe if I win, I should just turn around and buy 1.3 billion dollars worth of Powerball tickets?
I’m actually secretly relieved that you have this sewn up. My employees and I went in on $18 worth of tickets for the last one, and I had to extract a promise that if we won they would not a) be no-shows at work the next day and would at least give me a few weeks, and b) not hire Johnny Paycheck to come in the office to serenade me with, “Take This Job and Shove It.”
One of the best things about you winning 20 bazillion $ (besides sharing with me, old buddy) you can afford a new dishwasher. Hell, you could afford an army of live-in servants, one who only washes dishes and one who only washes pans.
If I win, it’d be worth it just to spend the entire amount of money to make sure I never have to wash another dish again. Or do laundry. That’s all I want out of life.
I’ve found several dirty pennies on the ground, through the years — wait, does that mean I am going to win? GASP! I’ll totally share with all of you, I promise!
😉
¤
I take ti by that winky smiley emoticon you really will share it with me??
I didn’t win, but I totally would have shared! 🙂
Weirdly enough, money DOES buy happiness – but only to a certain point. Up to $75,000 (I think), people really do feel happier because they can afford all bills while still having some leftover to play with. Above that amount = mo money, mo problems. So if you DO win, you’ll need to give away all but $75,000 of it in order to be truly happy! Just looking out for you 😉
$75,000 to be happy?! Hell, I’d settle for winning a free ticket at this point.
If you win that money and are too miserable you can just give it to me. I accept! It’s an insane amount!! You could buy a whole country with that kind of dough. I’m sure I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I’d buy some new clothes for sure. Some new boots! You’re so funny. 🙂
Well, after I win I’ll be sure to invite you on a cruise to the Darlita Isles, just off the coast of Italy.
Can’t wait!!
I always think it’s funny when someone tries to reassure me by saying the chances of something dangerous happening like being bitten by a shark are only 1 in 11 million, and then that person plays the lottery which has remarkably slimmer chances. If you play the lottery because you think 1 in 300 million odds aren’t impossible, shouldn’t you be terrified of 1 in 11 million?
[crumples up lottery ticket and cries softly] You just ruined the lottery for me, Paul. Thanks for nuthin’. Man, first your poor son, now this?
Thanks for reminding me to go buy a ticket or few. That’s what happens when you’re retired and get to enjoy sitting around in your woman cave in your jammies and robe reading blogs and other “news.”
Do these people have any idea what they did to our collective psyche when they increased the odds against winning? Now I’ll have to try to remember to buy more often!
I think the entire thing is a giant scam run by Donald Trump.
I figure my chances of winning the lottery are about the same as me catching fire by spontaneous combustion….wait…what’s that smell?
My folks lived in Vegas and I know about the chances of beating out the Odds Makers. But I love your number crunching, Darla. You’re spot on with many of those predictions. 😉