2nd largest jackpot the world has ever seen
By Todd Northrop
Let the frenzy begin.
For only the 2nd time in the history of United States lotteries — or in the history of lotteries around the world — a lottery jackpot run-up has exceeded $400 million.
It's a prize level never seen by the Powerball multi-state game, and only once seen by the rival Mega Millions game. And millions upon millions of people around the country will be lining up for their chance to claim the historic jackpot Wednesday evening.
The new high-water mark of $425 million for the current Powerball jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Saturday night's $325 million grand prize. And if past ticket sales are any indication of what will happen this week, the jackpot may get bigger — much bigger — by the time the drawing kicks off.
The lump-sum cash payout value of Wednesday's Powerball jackpot is a staggering $278.3 million. After-tax cash and annuity prize amounts are reported state-by-state on the Jackpot Analysis page at USA Mega, a web site devoted to the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lottery games.
The cash payout value also sets a record for the largest ever offered by Powerball, and only second to Mega Million's record of $471 million, set on March 30, 2012. (See list of all-time record annuity and cash jackpots below.)
In January, Powerball's pricing and prize structure changed, with the game's organizers claiming that the changes would produce bigger jackpots more often — and they were right. Within the first year of the changes, Powerball produced three $300+ million jackpot run-ups, and the thrid one — this current jackpot run-up — has produced the first-ever $400+ million grand prize for Powerball.
Players should note that jackpot amounts are conservative estimates provided by the lotteries, and are often somewhat higher by the time the drawing occurs. In this case, it may be a lot higher, perhaps nearing the half-billion dollar mark.
The historic prize is the result of 15 consecutive draws without a winner. The run-up started as a $40 million prize on October 6, 2012.
The winning numbers for Saturday, November 24, 2012 were 22, 32, 37, 44, and 50, with Powerball number 34.
Even though nobody won the jackpot Satuday, 11 lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from Arizona, 1 from Florida, 2 from New Jersey, 3 from New York, 1 from Oregon, 1 from Texas, 1 from Virginia, and 1 from Wisconsin.
Of all the second-prize winners, only one of the tickets sold in New York was purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1. Because they purchased the Power Play, that particular ticket is now worth $2 million.
90 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Powerball and won $10,000. Of those tickets, 13 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $40,000.
Following the Wednesday drawing, the Powerball annuity jackpot estimate was raised $100 million from its previous amount of $325 million. The cash value was raised by $65.5 million from its previous amount of $212.8 million.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, any non-jackpot prize is increased according to a fixed prize schedule, which can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts page at Lottery Post.
Powerball is now played in 42 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Saturday's Powerball jackpot currently stands as the 2nd-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States. The amount of the jackpot may rise before the drawing Saturday night, as lotteries are typically conservative in their initial estimates, and brisk sales may push the jackpot estimate higher by draw time.
If nobody wins Saturday, it's anyone's guess how high it will go.
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $425 million, Nov. 28, 2012 - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $390 million, Mar. 6, 2007 - Georgia, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $380 million, Jan. 4, 2011 - Idaho, Washington
- Powerball: $365 million, Feb. 18, 2006 - Nebraska
- The Big Game: $363 million, May 9, 2000 - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $340 million, Oct. 19, 2005 - Oregon
- Powerball: $337 million, Aug. 15, 2012 - Michigan
- Powerball: $336.4 million, Feb. 11, 2012 - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $336 million, Aug. 28, 2009 - California, New York
- The Big Game: $331 million, Apr. 16, 2002 - Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey
- Mega Millions: $330 million, Aug. 31, 2007 - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $319 million, Mar. 25, 2011 - New York
- Mega Millions: $315 million, Nov. 15, 2005 - California
- Powerball: $314.9 million, Dec. 26, 2002 - West Virgina
- Powerball: $314.3 million, Aug. 25, 2007 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295.7 million, Jul. 29, 1998 - Indiana
- Powerball: $295 million, Aug. 25, 2001 - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $294 million, Jul. 2, 2004 - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $276.3 million, Mar. 15, 2008 - West Virgina
- Mega Millions: $275 million, Feb. 22, 2008 - Georgia
- Mega Millions: $270 million, Feb. 28, 2006 - Ohio
- Mega Millions: $266 million, May 4, 2010 - California
- Mega Millions: $265 million, Apr. 18, 2006 - Ohio
- Powerball: $261.6 million, Jun. 2, 2010 - Ohio
For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Mega Millions: 12
- Powerball: 11
- The Big Game: 2
The Big Game is the original name of Mega Millions, from the game's first drawing on Sep. 6, 1996 through May 14, 2002. The name was changed to Mega Millions starting with the May 17, 2002 drawing.
Top 20 cash value jackpots
Since many lottery winners collect their winnings in cash, the lump-sum payout is an important measure of what a winning ticket could be worth. The new Powerball jackpot ranks as the 2nd-highest ever in the United States.
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Powerball: $278.3 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($425 million annuity) - Preliminary estimate, not won yet
- Mega Millions: $240 million cash, Jan. 4, 2011 ($380 million annuity) - Idaho, Washington
- Mega Millions: $233.1 million cash, Mar. 6, 2007 ($390 million annuity) - Georgia, New Jersey
- Powerball: $224.7 million cash, Aug. 15, 2012 ($337 million annuity) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $214 million cash, Aug. 28, 2009 ($336 million annuity) - California, New York
- Powerball: $210 million cash, Feb. 11, 2012 ($336.4 million annuity) - Rhode Island
- Mega Millions: $202.9 million cash, Mar. 25, 2011 ($319 million annuity) - New York
- Mega Millions: $194.4. million cash, Aug. 31, 2007 ($330 million annuity) - Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia
- Mega Millions: $185 million cash, Nov. 15, 2005 ($315 million annuity) - California
- The Big Game: $180 million cash, May 9, 2000 ($363 million annuity) - Illinois, Michigan
- Powerball: $177.3 million cash, Feb. 18, 2006 ($365 million annuity) - Nebraska
- Mega Millions: $168 million cash, July 2, 2004 ($294 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Mega Millions: $167.7 million cash, Feb. 22, 2008 ($275 million annuity) - Georgia
- Powerball: $166 million cash, Aug. 25, 2001 ($295 million annuity) - Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire
- Mega Millions: $165.2 million cash, May 4, 2010 ($266 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $164.4 million cash, won Oct. 19, 2005 ($340 million annuity) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $164 million cash, Feb. 28, 2006 ($270 million annuity) - Ohio
- Powerball: $161.5 million cash, July 29, 1998 ($295.7 million annuity) - Indiana
- Mega Millions: $156.1 million cash, Sept. 16, 2005 ($258 million annuity) - New Jersey
Mary mother of Jesus!
This has been an insane year for lottery jackpots. first the 656 million one in march and now this one..
Sweet Jesus...
Too bad I live 400 miles away from the nearest state.
The people running the Powerball might let it roll one more time to get bragging rights over Mega Millions and to make the $656 MM forgettable.
I'm sure by Wednesday this Jackpot will be well over 500 million, it would have been over that amount if POWERBALL increased their jackpots like Mega Millions and did not hold back their secret stash.
Anyway, game is on. Will be buying $10 for this game maybe a little more.
OHIO needs a PB win!!
You can say that again!!
I'm happy for PowerBall, now it's their turn for the really really big prize
This just might get bigger than MegaMillions!!
I am buying my tickets early so I don't have to wait for others in line. Good luck to me!-weshar75
Well, I will surrender and play one ticket.
Ditto. I'll be out before church in the morning to pick some up. May still pick up more later in the week. Got to hit the lucky spots around here.
Party Time! Woot!!
Christmas 2012 and New Years 2013 will be Fabulous for Somebody or Somebodies
Happy Sunday....:
BTW...I have been a Member since June 2002 but recently had to change my password..I am still Libra 0926
This service is very reliable, and provides scanned images of your actual tickets.
I've said it hundreds of times, so why not once more?
What difference does it make if you win $40 million or $425 million? I suppose it would be great to keep a few million and start a charity with the rest, but I will never understand the buying frenzy that starts every time the jackpot gets to these astronomical levels. Only 1 person in the entire State of Florida got the 5 white balls, winning a million with a $2 ticket. That should tell you something about the odds of hitting all 5 numbers and the PB.
However, somebody's going to win the jackpot, so I wish everyone here a lot of luck!
I'll get my usual one set of numbers for $2. I've always been baffled at why people spend "real" amounts of $$$, like $20 on 10 sets of numbers, when that's only covering 10 of more than 175 million combinations of numbers. Tonight on my one set, I got 2 of 6 numbers, and 2 others were 1 digit off. I know someone who spent $10 on 5 sets, and got only 1 number on 1 of the 5 sets. Plus I've been in past work lottery pools with anywhere from 50 - 100 sets of numbers, and typically that resulted in 3 or 4 lines being powerball or powerball plus 1 number, but they were always a far less payout than total money invested.
On the other hand, since there's no law that I know of, of how many times you can win the lottery, or how many tickets you can buy, here's my dream plan of being the first lottery winning billionaire. After winning this Wednesday, with the one time cash payout after taxes being almost 200 million, that would buy almost 100 million sets of different numbers, covering more than 50% of the possible combinations of numbers. In not long from now, with how often since 2012 with the changes that the powerball jackpot goes high, there's bound to be a cash payout soon (after taxes) of 250 million or higher. By winning that, it would increase my winnings from about 200 million into 250 million or more. Repeat that process a handful of times, and I'm a billionaire. Of course, I may the lose the 1 : 2 bet and leave myself with next to no money left, but those are <snip> good odds. Even better, nobody wins this Wednesday and the jackpot increases to a win of 350 million (or more) in one time cash payout. Then I'd have enough money to play every combination of numbers and be guaranteed to win the jackpot. The one issue there being not knowing if I'd be the sole winner, or have to split it 50/50 with one other person, or only get 33% with two other people, etc. I'd still do it though even if I were 1 of 3 winners. In that scenario, if the cash payout was 400 million, I'd wind up 50 million ahead if I were the only winner, or at "only" 133 million if I were 1 of 3 winners. Plus, since there's so much press and hounding of large lottery winners, I might as well go all out and be known as the biggest lottery winner who keeps betting all his money to keep winning more lotteries.
"I've said it hundreds of times, so why not once more? What difference does it make if you win $40 million or $425 million? I suppose it would be great to keep a few million and start a charity with the rest, but I will never understand the buying frenzy that starts every time the jackpot gets to these astronomical levels"
It's because of the "been there done that" syndrome. Even though 99.99% of people (actually more than that) don't win the jackpot, they get jaded by seeing "the same old dollar amounts". Psychologically, people just get more excited when they see rarely seen (or never before seen) dollar amounts. I play every drawing even when it's "only" 40 million.
I even play sweet million twice per week at $1 per game for a jackpot that's only 1 million (660 thousand in NY state after taxes). I'd be very excited to have $660,000, let alone 100's of millions. I've won more money playing sweet million by the way, with its much better odds, than I have in powerball. In about the last 2 years in sweet million, I got 4 numbers, 5 different times, for a total payout of $200. Plus many times I got 3 numbers for $3. At twice per week, that's $104 per year, so I'm actually a bit ahead in sweet million of total money won vs total money spent, and that's a rare thing in any lottery game.
Oh, my freaking God! I cannot believe the PB is 400 million dollars! The Powerball!
God, give me a cut of this! I will be praying for a cut of this!
No, I'm not getting excited. I haven't won anything yet.
Somebody is going to win because all the combinations possible has been bought. Just a question of who.
The current large jackpot is the result of a long string of games when the house did win. Cumulative-jackpot lotteries such as Powerball are essentially a massive transfer of value from the dupes who play when the jackpot is small to the wiser ones who wait until the jackpot is big, with the house taking a healthy cut along the way. Here's the one piece of solid advice in this column: If you play Powerball every day, stop playing Powerball every day. If your dollar can be spent for a 1 in 80 million chance of $10 million or a 1 in 80 million chance of $120 million, why would you choose the former? By Jordan Ellenberg.
I WILL PLAY THE LOTTERY SOMEDAY TO AVOID THE LOTTERY INSANITY. IT IS OKAY TO DREAM.
I AM A THRIFTY LOTTERY PLAYER BECAUSE I SAVE LINES TO PLAY SOMEDAY.
OUR REGULAR LOTTERY PROGRAMMING.
1) Playing the lottery more often for less lines= Playing a single line.
2) Playing the lottery less often for more lines= Playing multiple lines.
3) Playing the lottery less often for less lines= Playing a single line monthly or yearly.
4) Playing the lottery more often for more lines= Spending more money= Gambling addiction.
SET A LOTTERY STOP LOSS LIMIT TO MINIMIZE OUR LOSSES.
A lottery stop loss limit is very important to be a successful lottery player over the long term.
GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY
I know for sure this jackpot will be hit this Wednesday because it will be me........ Come on Louisiana, take home the big money and send it straight to my account. If reporters come looking, ill be long gone.
A girl can dream and turn it into reality to a life she never had....
Uh Oh!
I respectfuly disagree.
There was approximately 50% "coverage" of the total possible number of combinations (175,223,510) when the PB jackpot got to 325 million for the August 15, 2012 drawing. A little more than 86 million combo's (lines)were sold for that drawing, but many of the lines (numbers printed on the tickets) were duplicated, so that reduces the amount of coverage of possible combinations that were sold. (Duplicated lines of numbers sometimes produce more than one winner of a jackpot, but that didnt happen in August, there was 1 jackpot winner in Michigan) For those that dont know, "coverage" is defined as when the sales of tickets increases, a larger number of different possible combinations of numbers printed on the tickets is generated. The greater the percentage of coverage of the total possible combinations, the greater the chance of the jackpot being won.
I didnt see the amount of lines sold for last nights drawing yet, but I suspect the coverage will be about the same as August 15th's. My guess is that it will be greater than 50%.
For everyone that thinks the lottery is not rigged!
"That should tell you something about the odds of hitting all 5 numbers and the PB."
Yeah! think of how the biggest lottery was won by 3 freaking tickets!
Most that are high are always split with more than 1 winner it seams.
Instead of making the lottery payouts higher why not every time they draw numbers they keep drawing until they have a winner so at least 2 winning ticket holders per week win some worth while money???
Good luck everyone, it's a nail biter now.
$425 million sounds good to me......
$425M+
OMG! I will go crazy and get two tickets again.
This Powerball jackpot is coming to Florida.
Must drive you nuts being so close to all those second place winners. I can see why your thrifty.
I have a feeling they will let it go to new york or jersey because of the storm for three weeks ny has won the million and yesterday ny won the 1and2 million prize but like everyone i will buy the tickets i really think with the lottery setup the way it is they can choose if the jackpot has a winner and what state gets it.
glad to see powerball joined hes cousin mega millions in 400 million range
they grow up so fast
i had some massive lotto fever thanks to mega millions 600m one
am sure this powerball give me the lottery fever again!
cue the 100s of media reports about this. free marketing time for lotteries!
also think state lotteries will set new sales records for the month :D lucky dogs
and its a good thing indeed tod powerball changed its game design/rules
before the change, we even had a stupid Cap on lottery jackpot amount
, it would Never of got this high with that thing sure in there, the change was for the better!
now we can see how big powerball can go.
i was thinking before tonite, o ya 300+ million, its won . nope, what a happy shock.
Nuclear Alarm Siren sounds plays in background.
i think mega millions 600m jackpot, got raised many times over, lotto fever is back and there no telling how high this pupply will fly before drawing time
500+ million easy i say by draw time
i doubt it can reach mega millions total, sadly it would need 1 more draw for that
and if it somehow pulls off that like 3% chance of whatever % chance of it rolling
with nearly ever Set of numbers played, and rolls, say hello to 800 million range,
god help us all if it does that"wallets will be hurting" as am sure people personal "lottery budgets " how much they spend on it, are already being tossed out the windows with this one. like mega millions 600 before it, that thing was a monster.
You are not alone willie123, Many of our most beloved LP members feel the lottery chooses who wins.
Welcome to LP........................
I may be getting the fevor....... How many 100s of QPs should I buy........
What?? And not participate in the mass hysteria??
The very next post will likely be mcginnin56 also telling us that only TWO tickets are in the budget.........
I was just thinking....... if you call it part of your "budget" you can buy as many tickets as you have money in the bank. You could even borrow money and "budget" the payments.....
Willie, I think it will go to Michigan,
HOW TO WIN THE LOTTERY BY NOT PLAYING= SAVE YOUR MONEY.
I play the lottery to support education? lol
I lost $2 on the powerball last night. I really hate the lottery. lol lol lol
I went from zero to 100% with a $2 powerball ticket, and I did not win.
Spend $40. Thrifty, and go from zero to 2000%................
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction when I spend more than $2 on powerball.lol
You have to be rich to play a game like PB. I can't chase these PB jackpots rollovers; PB jackpots roll too fast. Oh, wait I still have $2 to play.
You have made a wise economic decision. Good Luck.
"Only 1 person in the entire State of Florida got the 5 white balls, winning a million with a $2 ticket. That should tell you something about the odds of hitting all 5 numbers and the PB."
ZERO CHANCE OF 175,223,510 VERSUS 1 CHANCE OF 175,223,510?
You live in NY Thrifty. just buy one ticket in each borough and you are sure to win it all.......
not yet, he is driving the 50 mile round trip to buy his tickets in ma even though they sell them in his cowtown in nh.
Thats a long way to go for TWO tickets............
I have Christmas powerball fever of 425 million wishes to pray for.... I couldn't sleep
Are you asking me to travel to mars to get the winning numbers? lol
Actually I do head into MA every Friday, to pick up their state games, as well as PB and MM.
I WILL PLAY THE LOTTERY SOMEDAY TO AVOID THE LOTTERY INSANITY. IT IS OKAY TO DREAM.
I AM A THRIFTY LOTTERY PLAYER BECAUSE I SAVE LINES TO PLAY SOMEDAY.
OUR REGULAR LOTTERY PROGRAMMING.
1) Playing the lottery more often for less lines= Playing a single line.
2) Playing the lottery less often for more lines= Playing multiple lines.
3) Playing the lottery less often for less lines= Playing a single line monthly or yearly.
4) Playing the lottery more often for more lines= Spending more money= Gambling addiction.
SET A LOTTERY STOP LOSS LIMIT TO MINIMIZE OUR LOSSES.
A lottery stop loss limit is very important to be a successful lottery player over the long term.
GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY
Looking through some of the posts by people....do people really think the people in charge "decide" which state is going to win? As for NY, well that's easy, a higher population means more people play in the state of NY than any other state. The powerball total winners page shows that NY was easily the state last night with the highest amount of winners, as is the case with every drawing.
I also find it "interesting" how some people try and predict which numbers are "due" to hit based on some silly formula. The machine can't read the numbers on any of the balls, it simply spits out 5 of 59, and then 1 of 35. It's totally random.
That's what they want you to think! I believe the lottery people chooses the state and the Jackpot amount for its winners ahead of time. I sometimes question tho if they choose its winners and terminals. Maybe Jesse Ventura will investigate it since it's a conspiracy wondered by many.
NY has been hitting left and right and NY is only a fraction of all the PB/MM players throughout the states. It just doesn't add up to the 175 million odds for them to have hit so many times this year. And I am not talking about 2nd prize winnings either, it seems like almost every jackpot this year was hit by NEW YORK..LO L
Whatever the case, I hope the Powerball hits Painesville Ohio and selects my tickets. If they do I will retract my statement and clear any skepticism about the lottery.
Just joined. Want to say I very seldom play. Only participate when the stakes are very high, as in this one. One thing I do know, if I every hit the jackpot and it was enormously high or whatever it was, I would be thinking of all the good that could be done with the money, not all the goodies I could treat myself to. I'm comfortable but certainly not wealthy but it always amazes me when people are questioned as to what they would do with the money if they won. Very few think of so many people in need who they could help and the good that this money could accomplish. Of course, I would help my family and keep a decent ammount for my husband and myself to secure our future, but the bulk of it should be put to good use to help those who are struggling. After hurricaine Sandy, the lucky winner will be able to do just that and I hope they keep this in mind. No one needs the amount of money that is at stake here. Remember, money does not bring happiness but helping others should.
I purchased my Powerball ticket about 15 minutes ago. There was a short line, but the store has two lottery machines, so I walked around the line and went to the other machine with no line. As I walked out the door with my Powerball ticket, the people still in line gave me the most puzzled looks ................. I just silently thanked them for their donation!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Powerball was smart to remove their record jackpot cap. If they still had it, the jackpot would be at only $390 million annuity. The reason PB used to have the cap was because they know some players only play when the jackpot is a "record," and if they set a record at $725 million, they miss chances to set records at $425 million, $525 million, $625 million, etc. I guess they FINALLY realized that if they don't take records away from themselves, Mega Millions will.
What if this jp is won by one person? That would really be life changing.
"NY has been hitting left and right and NY is only a fraction of all the PB/MM players throughout the states. It just doesn't add up to the 175 million odds for them to have hit so many times this year. And I am not talking about 2nd prize winnings either, it seems like almost every jackpot this year was hit by NEW YORK"
Of all 42 states that have PB, do you know which state usually has the highest amount of PB ticket sales? It's New York.
For the 11/21/2012 drawing, total sales of PB was $86,533,120. Of that total, New York sold $10,691,772, followed by Florida which sold $9,136,130. Pennsylvania and New Jersey had ticket sales for that same drawing of greater than 6 million dollars and 5 million dollars respectively.
On the other hand, Ohio sold $2,528,614 for the 11/21/12 drawing. New York and Florida combined sold almost TEN TIMES as many tickets as were sold in Ohio.
The most amount of Jackpots won in 2012 was not in New York. If you check the winners stories page at The PowerBall website, you'll see two jackpot winners in Iowa, one in Michigan, one in Pennsylvania, two in Rhode Island, one in New Jersey, one in Connecticut and one in New York.
I play every drawing because the one time I was guilted into not playing a set of numbers by my wife, they hit when the MM jackpot was a mere $12 million annuity. That $4 million after taxes would have been much better for me. And I have observed a few lucky souls hit right after the big amount was hit previously...I don't think they are complaining about how they spent their dollar(s).
Only spending the usual $2. It's all the same, just bigger and better dreams at night.
Thanks for your post of logic and math.
Did you get a divorce......
I was totally confused by conflicting statements...................
And I am not talking about 2nd prize winnings either, it seems like almost every jackpot this year was hit by NEW YORK"
The most amount of Jackpots won in 2012 was not in New York
Everyone knows the odds are stacked in your favor in NY, I would kick in and extra 100 if I lived in NY...
Please tell me you at least kicked her where the nuts would be, if she had any.........
I went out and bought "a Donald" today. Can anyone tell me if this is a "classic Donald" or a "new Donald"?
I was aiming for a "classic" but I'm just not sure........
Some people think I'm crazy to go and drop a few hundred on this draw, but I tell them since I don't drink, smoke or eat fast food, I have to spend some $ on something lol
Excellent point mightwin, I was at the store buying my "Donald" and watched a lady but $79. worth of cigarettes. She needed 4 books of free matches. I wanted to suggest gambling to her but didn't.....
Hey Ronnie, you have some quality Quick Picks without too many repeats.
How come your ticket does not show the date and time of purchase. New York tickets do. I bought a single line, and it has the 44 from the previous drawing. It really sucks.
Whoa, one winner? Life changing indeed!!
I want it to roll just one more time so it can go ahead
of the MegaMillions jackpot record lol
I'm buying one ticket w/powerplay.
I really think this might become the norm, these huge jackpots,
at least once a year this could happen.
We do things a little different here in the wild west Thrifty........
The Connecticut asset managers might win this jackpot too with a single quick pick ticket.
When interest rates go higher all JPs will look HUGE.........
Assest managers are "smart" players...........
The shotgun playing method will hit a lottery jackpot someday.
Thanks Thrifty, I use the shotgun method on every draw.......
I hope that those smart individuals do not break this PB party with a $2 quick pick ticket. Can you imagine? lol, lol, lol
Yes, you are playing the lottery more often for more lines.
I consider you a lottery whale my friend. You are at the top of our lottery programming. lol
Its going to be depressing if thats the outcome. Will probably p**s alot of peeps off. Thats why i hate rollovers.
I play multiple lines sporadically.Ronnie you might hit a $1 Million prize on PB very soon.
It is wise to pick a jackpot amount to play with instead of chasing jackpots rollovers.
Lets hope that we never have a 75% income tax like France.
Or a 75% interest rate.........
Why
What's wrong if only one person won?
I think that would be an even greater story that this person beat the odds.
Now if the winner was 91 years old I'd be like daaaang!!! just kidding lol
Never too old to enjoy money as long as your mind is still sharp.
Thanks Thrifty...... Big fish need to eat too.......
We will not have any incentive to play the lottery if they keep increasing taxes in the USA.
Small fishes let sharks and whales do all the work when It comes to food. They eat alongside the sharks and the whales.lol
Going to be interesting to see how many tickets are sold compared with the record mega jackpot. Only getting half the tickets for the same amount(compared to mega) spent which could mean a good chance for a rollover if less people play because of the cost.
I am anticipating TWO INCREASES before actual draw time. Both at midday on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A "Donald"??? As in Trump or Duck?
I think it was Lawson??
He was the last person to win the PB JP, his ticket had 4 QPs and a single winning self pick line.....
He said "I just checked boxes" or something like that.
Where you just let your hand randomly select all the numbers, with no set system or numerical preconceptions.
Sort of like "Automatic Writing".
Yeah.... thats what I did today..... lol. lol. lol.
I got my five lines today, two were "Donalds".
"I've said it hundreds of times, so why not once more? What difference does it make if you win $40 million or $425 million?
I agree on some practical level, but in reality it cost over $40 million to own a G5 Gulfsteam before you even start the engines...... So there is a VERY big differance... lol. lol. lol.
That must be the "new Donald" and I got the "classic" with 4 QPs and one self pick......
As long as it's a "winning" Donald, I'll be reasonably content.
An article I just read said the winners were 6, 27, 46, 51, 56 and Powerball 21
ohhhh Thanks. Wonder why it is called that?
ooohh Ok. That makes sense.
Perhaps we should call it auto-winning.............
NY has 10 million sales? Ok? that just means it's 10m chances and the odds are still the same. Just like all those people who went crazy and spent their rent money and others who spent $1000,$10000 + and still lost it all and won nothing on the $656 Mega Millions. Still doesn't add up.
And I really don't care which single state has the highest sales. If you re-read what I typed you will see that I said New York is only a fraction of all the states combined but yet they have been winning the Powerball/Mega Millions (combined) quite often..more so than other states this year.
Thanks for your two cents, but I don't need any fancy data or statistics to tell me this.
Tempers often flare over NY having the luckiest players and the most winners. I'm going to send a letter to a made up address in NY and after it is returned I will rub it on all my play slips before inserting them.....
lol Best post of the day. Maybe pull up a pic of the statue of Liberty on your computer and have her auto pic your numbers.
lol. lol. No no no...... This is a meme free LP..... The best I can hope for is a dream of Miss Liberty in action.
I plan on playing my"maringoman" numbers as well for the big Wed. night drawing..........
I think it would be so cool for a handful of LP members to split the JP..........
LO L Maybe I'm just mad because Ohioians can't even win its own state game. I'm sorta new to this site but I find is hillarious that LP members get serious about these type of comments. He's probably an employee of Powerball and will set the terminals for 3 New Yorkers to win it only this Wednesday to piss me and everybody else off that NY pulls off another win.
I swear if that happens, even if NY win this one, I will be done playing this game..lmao
I noticed this little out of the way store that is not too far from me that has a lottery sign in the window. It is next to one of those kind of sketchy looking check cashing places but I may get a Qp there for one of my two tickets.
Instead of getting mad about it I just politely ask every once in a while that "they" choose me for any one of the many JPs, and I vow to use the money locally supporting all my favorite merchants.......
I love the little hole in the wall stores and I always try to play at one whenever I pass one if I haven't already played for that game. I won twice at one of these little stores on my local state game. I matched 4 of 6 and almost fainted because all the numbers matched in order but the last two as they came across the screen. Funny how whenever I win its always from a QP but I seem to match the PB/MB quite often or nearly match by being a number higher/lower when I self pick my tickets.
Nice idea, I try that sometimes too..........
Woo-Hoo!!!
Sounds like others have tried this also with these little out of the way stores. Interesting. I never even noticed the lottery sign till yesterday and used to go further down the road to a 7-11.
Good strategy!
What if one or more members hit the jackpot, and they throw a by invitation only celebration party?
If I were lucky enough, I would invite 25 LP members for an all expense paid round trip flight, hotel, all meals, tips included.
We could determine a date that would work for everybody, and have a day of non-stop fun, and a raffle for a couple of big cash prizes.
Not everyone invited would necessarily want to go. For those that refuse, we could come up with a list of additional members until
we get our total of 25 excited members that are on-board.
Well my curiosity got the best of me and I had to do a little research on USA Mega. For 2012, there were 10 PB jackpots won. Iowa had 2, and Rhode Island had 2, NY had 1. For 2012, MM had 11 jackpots won. California had 5, NY had 3, and Illinois had 2.
As another poster pointed out, the states with the highest populations usually have the best odds of winning a jackpot. Simple. California actually is the state to hate. If CA had PB they probably would have a couple of those jackpots also.
I think it was about your temper, GiveFive posted some useful information as to
why New York has winners is because they have more players, he didn't seem serious at all.
Nahhhh You should donate your money to homeless kitties.
Nah, I'm not really mad. I play this game for fun and I understand the odds but I also understand someone has to win it eventually. If it's meant to be, it will be. But if I win this one someone willl probably have to give my heart a jump start and scoop me up off the ground. lol
I remember how I reacted when I won $5000 on the pick 4. I did summer salts in my living room and ran around the house cheezing. I can only imagine how i'd react for millions of $$$!!! lol
WOW!!!!!
Find loving homes for 25 homeless kitties...........I like that idea better!!!
I don't see any disclaimers so BECAREFUL of what you promise because I will be expecting my invitation and prize money. lol
But remember it was by "invitation only" Erzulierdeyes, but your name will be kept in mind.
Another new member? LOL!!
Welcome to Lottery Post MoneyMama!!
oh yea...lol Thnx.
Good Luck to you!
But better luck to me!!!!!
I do understand that there are more players in NY and that they have more CHANCES to win over other states but they do not outweigh all the players statewide that participate in the game. I swear it seems like everytime I checked USAMEGA for who won it was NEW YORK. Both jackpot and 2nd prize. Maybe I'm just bias against NY... But I noticed Cali and MI winning a lot too past couple years but NY seems to be on fire. Didn't they win like 2 or 3 JACKPOTS in a row?
I see and hear $425 Million PB jackpot everywhere. It is insane like your winning Donald ticket. Good luck.
It's still @ 425 Million? I swear they are holding out. I thought that number would have changed by now.
I live in New York, and I have never won $10k playing MM or PB.
I am not spending more than $5 on powerball.
No more homeless kittens for me...........the last one I took in ended up costing $478 at the vet....lol
lol I smell a future lawsuit. Good contingency Mcginnin!
I forgot when they increased it with MegaMillions, I think it did increase twice.
I'm thinking another $100mil increase so Wednesday's jackpot will be $525.
Then again this is a $2 game, it might be more.
awwww Hope you still kept it.
My limit is $6.00. Thrifty is spending money??? OMG I am going to faint.....
I WILL PLAY THE LOTTERY SOMEDAY TO AVOID THE LOTTERY INSANITY. IT IS OKAY TO DREAM.
I AM A THRIFTY LOTTERY PLAYER BECAUSE I SAVE LINES TO PLAY SOMEDAY.
MY REGULAR LOTTERY PROGRAMMING.
1) Playing the lottery more often for less lines= Playing a single line.
2) Playing the lottery less often for more lines= Playing multiple lines.
3) Playing the lottery less often for less lines= Playing a single line monthly or yearly.
4) Playing the lottery more often for more lines= Spending more money= Gambling addiction.
I SET A LOTTERY STOP LOSS LIMIT TO MINIMIZE MY LOSSES.
A lottery stop loss limit is very important to be a successful lottery player over the long term.
SAVING YOUR MONEY VERSUS PLAYING THE LOTTERY?
GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY.
ONE TICKET
ONE PERSON
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
You never won 10k because You're probably one of the New Yorkers that have already won a jackpot..lol
It should roll over close to $700 but my guess is $580M by the time Wednesday comes around.
I just hope someone wins this one because if not there will be a lot of kids without presents this year except for the lotto winner because a lot of parents will be broke trying to win this lotto. When Mega Millions was $656m there was a man infront of me that purchased $500 tickets which was ridiculous to my $65 bucks I spent.
I wasn't aware that one person could purchase that many tickets. By the looks of his car and the way it sounded did not seem like he could really afford to play... But then again I have known some wealthy people to drive around in beaters so who knows?
Lotto fever seemed to take off a lot faster for MM than PB? I wonder why that is? $2 price?
I saw the news mention it but its not being talked about by many yet like MM
From what I have seen, the average big lottery winner has played about $5 on average, so playing more than that is probably a waste of time. Fortune is either on your side or not, no matter how much you spend.
What they admit to and what they actually are spending might be very different.
I'm sure that the $2 price of a ticket has a lot to do with it.And a lot of people played more than they could afford to lose on the MM jackpot and I'm sure that most of them are still kicking themselves for spending so much money and have vowed to never do it again.Thats my take on why I don't think it will go up by much on Wednesday.I think it will be hit on Wednesday,too.
Bring it back to indiana: nice christmas for someone
I think a guy on here spent $1000 on PB the last time it was in the $300mil range, but I could be remembering incorrectly.
You are correct Marconis, his name escapes me. His total wins were about $30.
Very Informative.
I always buy $200 worth of tickets but I spread them out over 10-15 stores I always make the clerk print them one by one.Its my theory that by doing this the computer will be forced to print the tickets from a different numbers matrix each time rather than printing 10 numbers from the same matrix therefore increasing my chances.It almost worked last night I was only 3 numbers off .
Interesting theory! I'm going to try that for now on.
I could be wrong but I think this powerball drawing isnt going to pass the mega drawing(march 2012). If someone doesnt win on wednesday then maybe, Mega had an astounding number of tickets sold, so powerball needs to match at least half that to be on the same track as mega. One website states the $325 million pb jackpot had $140,096,440 in sales compared to the march 2012 mega jackpot of 363 million having $190,922,875 in sales.Yes it doesnt take as much powerball tickets sold (only half) to be the same as mega, but I think in most peoples minds it's better or makes more sense to spend $100 and get 100 picks compared to spending $200 dollars and getting only 100 picks. But then again it is christmas time and people are a little easier with spending more money. lol
You probably are right..a lot of ppl still kicking themselves from the last lotto fever from MM..lol People spent their rent/mortgage money and wiped out bank accounts to play this game. The cashier had told me a lot of ppl were spending around $50.00 avg and this is from a store that doesn't get a lot of traffic normally but it did that day. When I went back to play more tickets around 10pm the cashier had told me the machines had broke down and that they ran out of printing paper. lol
It will be interesting if the Powerball is not hit this Wednesday but I have a strong feeling it will. It's scary to imagine one individual winning this amount. I hope it's split by at least 2 people.
Nooooo one person needs to win it..its america lol!
One person is better!
As another poster mentioned earlier, it can be split by me, myself and I.
That's why I'm shocked that there are no rapid increases. It's nearing Christmas time and ppl spend during this year esp for MM/PB so they can hope to purchase lavish gifts but I don't see this JACKPOT beating Mega Millions.
Maybe the reason Mega Millions grew so fast was because a lot of people had just gotten their refund checks from the GOV. LOL
yes as long as its split between those three........lol
Yes, those three can share with one another. I don't mind sharing!
Hey mcginnin56 do you think the amount of responses in this thread will beat the mega thread (2012)? lol
Haha, that's so greedy!
Usually I'd say the same thing but 200+ million after taxeS? That is ridiculous money...no one person needs that much. I wouldn't refuse tho' if I was the sole winner..lol
Not possible!!!
That thread was as long as the **** on John Holmes!
............lol
I play along with my ex and her sister, and we have this long standing agreement (12 years), that if any of us win, we split it three ways.
So actually I'm not as greedy as you think.
There were 191 million tickets sold when the MM jackpot was $363 on March 27 and a record for the most in sales without a jackpot winner. About 70 million tickets were sold for Saturday's PB drawing and just to get slightly over a 50% chance of a jackpot winner, sales will have to be $238 million or about $100 million more than on Saturday.
They'll need over 1/2 billion in sales for it to be a "must win" jackpot.
You play with your ex. I'll take a guess and say you got the dog.
Amicable divorce, I left her. No dog at the time.
She's actually still on my payroll as my bookkeeper.
We get along so much better now!
The only thing to say is wow! Who would of thought we would have another massive jackpot after that historic mega run. This Powerball jackpot may top it , it may not, but to all the lottery players out there..... dreams are priceless!!!!!
It is still Sunday, and it will change after Sunday.
Sweet it is but definitely a lonnnng shot! After handling paying off bills, etc.; I would first let my youngest sibling go back to school f/t bcuz she has been looking for a better job for years and just can't seem to get a break. Then I would make sure my two teenage nieces get tutors so that they can get a good score on the SAT---yes they are going to college. After that, build a decent home on a 1 acre lot in Texas and finish my PhD.
A little boring but I will be in a daze for a while. Thank you all for your great comments!
Here is the real Donald Lawson winning ticket with 3 self picks and a QP.He won a $337 Million Powerball jackpot with this ticket on August 15, 2012.
What is the the difference between the real Donald ticket and Ronnie's ticket besides of the cost?
Consider the $478 that you spent on your kitten, one of the best ever uses of your $478.
For me, I see it as money very well spent, for one that had absolutely no other way to get medical care.
Check this story out, on a family and thier pet or more specifically, the daughter in the family and her pet. Alyssa meets holly after six months apart. at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S07ZMEvEueE
LP members get offended when someone says they believe the lottery is rigged. It's hilarious because it's the lottery, not a family member. Why get all up and arms? I come from Louisiana and Lord I swore that was one of the most unluckiest states in America. We now live in Illinois. Some years back half of a big jackpot was sold at a Gas Station not too far from where we live. But we didn't really play the lottery then. I get sick of hearing California and New York, too. I don't spend more than 5 dollars on MM and PB. PB is now 2 dollars so that would be 10 dollars, but since it went up to two dollars, I no longer go over 4 dollars. Buying 100 QPs is not going to help you at all. Like everyone else I can only hope I hit on Wednesday. Playing this game may finally pay off for me.
Wow, super WOW! this is really a huge amount and I can't believe that it is that so big...I hope that this will be won by somebody who really deserve it and that person will share somehow the blessings to less fortunate people...Goodluck to all of us.
I am definately getting in on this one. I work at a retail store and we got slammed on Saturday. I would think 35% - 75% EXTRA people would play for this big one.
If I win I'd surely give every one of my friends a million bucks!
Maybe it's hilarious that you would think a state is unlucky or that a state wins a jackpot.
≈½ΒîζζÎÕÑ
ζυÇΚΥ
ΝΥ
Hey if I look at usamega.com 's powerball analysis. It looks to me like the state of New Jersey wins; $30 mill infact, if the jackpot goes there.
My husband usually plays qp's, he brought home some playslips, He's got the bug, first thing he did was fill out birthdays.
After playing birthdays 03-04-10-27-28 for about 6 years I finally quit playing them. I wonder if I should go back to throwing it on one of the lines considering its only $2. per draw......
Did you look at the real Donald ticket?
Thanks for posting Thrifty, I somehow had the impression that Donald played 4 QPs and one self pick.
Donald played 4 self picks and ONE QP which should serve as a crushing blow to the beliefs of QP players.
You can budget your lottery money better by spending $5, $10 relative to any amount under $5.
Its seems clear that Donald believed in himself MORE than a QP and used the QP sparingly.....
I like playing a full ticket which is $10. on PB.
I believe that self pick and quick numbers have the same chance of winning. The lottery is a numbers game. I like your Donald ticket version too. You can still try both.Good luck.
kindly notice that this is not directed at any single person
Only the Childish and Envious people think that it is greedy for one person to win .............. how could it possibly be greedy when you have no control over whether you win!
It IS the pure Greed of Envy to say that "no one person needs that much money" ........................ and it is Greedy if you believe that you deserve a piece of someone else's "pie" !
ONE TICKET, ONE PERSON .......... IS MY PREFERENCE, BUT IT IS ALL NONE OF MY BUSINESS UNLESS I AM THE WINNER!
At least a $208,725,000 wire transfer will go to my Bank Account in I win here in PA!
Jingle $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I spend less on the lottery when I spend $5, $10 etc on it. It is easier to spend $1 on the lottery than $10, therefore you spend more over the long haul because $1 allows you to play more often.
I think self picks rule over QPs but I will try both using Donald's 75/25 approach.......
I agree with you 100%, anybody that spends his or her money deserves to win. Good luck everybody.
with Thrifty.......
with dpoly1 too
I will have to agree with you. Self picks give you more control pertaining as to which numbers you play. The Donald's ticket proved that self picks have the chance as quick picks of winning a lottery jackpot. Quick picks win more jackpots because more players use them.
Yes, QP are a convenience. People want easy results, and the Donald is a hard working hillbilly.
It must feel great to win a lottery jackpot using self picks, and nobody else knowing how you really picked the winning numbers.
It is hard work, my Donald's took me almost two minutes of hard thinking and auto writing.
Based on his description Thrifty, we are thinking of calling it "Auto-Winning"
I really like that coined term!
You should consider putting a copy right on that.
Exactly, the time and energy of checking the boxes brings "the force" into play. PEF so to speak...
I feel that the Donald will never tell us how he really picked those self picks, but self picks and QPs will put us on any game. We just have to use self picks with QPs too.
When this new term is posted on Lotterypedia could you articulate something to the effect, "Formerly referred to as the 'Donald"?
I'm a trusting sole Thrifty, I have no reason to doubt Donald sworn testimony.......
I will mix QPs with self picks, and I will also play them separate too.
From now on I play a 3 to 1 ratio......... auto-winning over QP..........
You are correct a self pick is a self pick no matter how you get it. I will try to pick some numbers by looking at the universe. lol
I have been toying with this idea of checking the QP box on the play slip for every other column. The terminal will have to go from randomly generating numbers to running numbers I selected myself. Somehow in my delusional mind that may work in my favor in getting better QPs.
Exactly my point Thrifty. A random pick may SEEM like a QP but the universe and PEF are your guide.
Hey, you never know. I am getting into the study of time. I want to be a shamanic like the Mayans.
Winning at Quick Picks has to do a lot with shamanism. lol
WINNING THE LOTTERY IS A MIND GAME.
Sorry Thrifty, we know that its an inferior pseudo picking method at best.
Trying is the first step to gain true knowledge in life.lol
Are you saying that Powerball winner Donald Lawson is a PSEUDO? Some minds see through the fake.
Oh I am sorry, you meant to say using QPs.