Only Suckers Play Powerball
Today I read in the Metro that Powerball odds might be lowered, because people are winning too often, and this is hurting sales. I don't get it. People are winning too often and this is hurting sales!? If I heard that a lottery was getting easier to win, I'd buy more tickets, not fewer. I guess people feel that it's just not worth playing when the jackpot is under a $100 million. I wouldn't sneeze at winning even a thousand dollars when my initial investment was a measly buck. If the odds are somehow better, then that's all the more reason to take a chance.
This news was all academic for me anyway, because I don't play Powerball. Don't get me wrong. I do play the lottery, but not Powerball. Why not? Because I know my lotteries. I have to. That's because the cornerstone, the linchpin, yea the quintessential nub of my retirement plan depends on winning the lottery, so I play early and I play often.
Since I'm playing for keeps, as it were, I don't waste my money on Powerball. No sir, I'm too smart for that. The odds on Powerball are way too low as it is. Even for a $5,000 prize, the odds are pretty long at 1 in 502,194, and for the big jackpot, the odds are an astronomical 1 in 120,526,770. Instead of Powerball, we play Pennsylvania's Cash 5. The big jackpot odds are pretty good at 1:575,757, similar to the $5,000 Powerball odds, but with typical jackpots far larger than that. With my golden years at stake, I can't afford to take any chances with my hard-earned money. Plus, you have the added entertainment value of a daily drawing as well. How can you lose?
Comments
Nerd!
Posted by Jim on August 25, 2007 at 9:37 PM
I agree. I worked at a gas station when I was in college, and sold thousands of tickets. Guess what, nobody ever won anything. That game is a joke.
Posted by dave barker on May 28, 2009 at 4:15 PM