How Everyone Responds When You Tell Them Their Chances Of Winning Powerball

$500 Million (340 Million after taxes) shuts off everyone’s notion of probability.

Powerball madness is once again gripping Newport as the jackpot has crept up to the half-billion dollar mark and lots of people you know, normally rational human beings with a grasp of probability hear that there’s a 1:175,000,000 chance that they might hit that jackpot and respond like Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber.

After all, it’s not as though there are many people on the planet for whom $500 million (or even the $340 million after taxes) won’t mean just about a permanent fix to any current and foreseeable fiscal issues.

Of course, the 1:175 million chance is only for the jackpot. There are still a bunch of smaller prizes that you’re in the running for, so your actual overall odds of winning something are 1:31.85.

Think of the lottery like you would any investment. If you’re going to put down $20 on Powerball, you’re going to want to hedge that with $20 on Mega-Millions. (No, not really.)

We’re wishing everyone the best of luck (though not quite as much luck as we’re wishing ourselves).

May you all enjoy winning everything but the grand prize.

-Tristan Pinnock, Blast Gaming Correspondent