I am not ashamed to admit, I am a little bit scared,"What if I really do win this by myself?". My life will have to change and I will experience culture shock. Going from poor to the uber elite. The one percent life.   How much security will my family and I need?

 Thankfully here in California, I will be able to decline the press interview and the grip & grin photo.

wow i didnt expect my wish   on 450m pot , to keep on rolling, to be answered so soon,... keep on rollin baby

Got my tickets for tonight's drawing.

I agree Music, that is a scary amount to win.  For some reason I dont think it will be won tonite but I do have two tickets just in case  ..... Let the insomnia begin!

Good Luck everyone!

PB has been on the national news before the jump to $500 million so it may be raised again before the drawing tonite?

Like many people I was not expecting another $50 million increase. 

I would be curious to know how much the jackpot will be for Saturday's drawing if no one wins tonight?

Anybody have any idea?

If it is not won tonight it will be up to $725 Million is my guess for Sat...

My guess is 800.  I hope it rolls so we can see who's right. 

As much as I want to win it and want other people to win it I also want to see it shatter any and all records.

My guess is $755,000,000 on saturday, provided no one wins

If there is a roll over tonight, we could easy see a billion dollars jackpot.

If its not won tonight it will hit 1 billion for next Saturday's draw will all the press attention.

I don't want to see any "glee" posts either from the people that were against the odds moving from 1 in 175 million up to 1 in 192 million.  You can't have it both ways.  Since moving the odds up was such a rip off according to so many of the posters back when they instituted the change stay consistent and don't buy a ticket now.

As for me i was for an even bigger increase in the odds to 1 in 400 million which i think mega millions will have to do when powerball grabs the first billion pot.

At 1 in 400 million odds you could have 2 jackpot winners a year for about 4 billion a pot.

All we need now is for at least 4 of the 5 white balls #32 or higher to cancel out the "birthday crowd" and we might just get to the that billion pot next Saturday.  5 of 5 big numbers give us a great shot at it.

aught!

Today's the dream day for all JACKPOT ticket buyers BUT, there is always BUTT out there somewhere and that

was Tuesday 1/5/2016 when we were chasing another DREAM and another BIG jackpot. Yes, Psyko was out

there swimming upstream with the many other FISH to promise LAND of MONEY and HONEY'$ and good TIMES!

NO, no one made the swim successfully and all were eaten by the BIG BAD BEARS with the exception of a few

who won low tier prizes again and again and did Psyko say again! Yes, I got a few more 1+1, 2+0, and 2+1 &

ALOTTO 0+0's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LUCK what is IT, think about it NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  "YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN NOW"

 A rollover to set records. Great idea. If I do not win. 

It doesn't need to rollover.... A half billion is perfectly fine with me.  Lol!!Heck I'd be pleased with a second place prize of a cool mill too :-). 

Good luck everyone!!!  I hope someone from LP wins this thing!!! :-)

I'm ready! Show me the money! 

Good luck everyone! Winner from LP tonight!!! 

08-10-11-14-22 + 07
17-24-30-35-56 + 11
11-24-49-62-69 + 17
15-32-54-61-69 + 20
02-15-32-56-59 + 24
12-36-59-68-69 + 09
03-04-51-57-62 + 04
07-47-58-60-64 + 15
36-38-61-62-67 + 24
06-09-12-14-65 + 06
09-16-37-42-69 + 01
08-14-31-54-65 + 16
02-06-19-54-58 + 06
10-17-22-62-65 + 07
10-23-24-28-67 + 01
08-13-36-49-62 + 22
06-17-28-31-34 + 21
12-24-26-28-29 + 02
39-52-54-57-59 + 01
08-14-27-40-64 + 15
13-21-44-52-59 + 20
09-38-45-46-56 + 10
02-04-28-50-58 + 14
08-18-20-57-63 + 11
01-06-15-27-49 + 06
17-20-21-38-69 + 12
05-45-63-64-67 + 04
17-26-47-58-62 + 16
05-08-34-38-51 + 25
17-23-25-29-49 + 03
23-26-35-51-59 + 13
16-44-55-64-67 + 19
04-39-50-61-63 + 08
14-19-28-43-55 + 20
17-24-26-32-68 + 24
05-29-41-58-68 + 08
11-21-46-56-65 + 23
04-37-46-60-63 + 11
14-28-32-35-52 + 22
11-18-51-59-65 + 13
23-44-45-53-55 + 08
02-17-22-27-31 + 15
05-51-62-64-67 + 21
04-12-26-48-59 + 20
04-07-37-51-68 + 05
02-22-24-38-44 + 15
23-27-35-38-43 + 04
01-41-49-56-61 + 15
16-32-36-45-53 + 16
16-37-41-55-69 + 13

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY.

I hope it rolls one more time before one winning jackpot steps forward.

Definately see the ticket buying frenzy.  Wasn't a line per se, but there were  5 folks buying tix at my local circle k.  Definately an abnormality for this time of day.

Based on ticket sales the estimated jackpot when up $170 million. How many tickets does it take to get that kind of increase?

The Texas Lottery says that if nobody hits tonight it will initially go to $675 million.  I can't imagine it not going higher than that by draw time.

The jackpot is going to Pluto! Whoo-hoo!!

Come on California- come on Baby. Show the way to the winner's circle. You always do: we counting on you to come through.Do it because you CAN.

End this tonight! 

Well this escalated quickly.

Escalation is a good thing especially when it involves money that could be coming to you. .

Or it could end on a whimper with the actual payout falling short, such as $490 million. It already happened once before back in 2013. MUSL advertised $600 million, but the actual payout to the Florida winner was less at ~$590 million. From all indications, the $500 million estimate is probably more solid, but don't bet the ranch on it. MUSL doesn't honor its estimates. In contrast, many state lotteries will payout the advertised amount, regardless of actual sales, for their in-state games.

There will appear to be two winners tonight but it will be one person who played the same numbers twice, for whatever reason.

So can we all agree that winning a $500 million annuity makes someone a half-billionaire? Yes or no?

In case I do win I'm changing my whole indenity and getting plenty of plastic surgery.

come on rollover

$500 Million I got my tickets   

Nope.  That's like saying if I'm working for $50K per year, then I'm a millionaire.  It'll take 20 years of working, but you will have earned a million.  No way you're a millionaire though.

Eh, I'd still happily take the million dollar second prize and quietly disappear into the night. 

Good-golly-miss-Molly!  I just spent $100 on tickets and now it's increased to $500M!  There was a long line of buyers and it took me about 40 minutes standing in line before I was able to get mine.   If no one wins tonight I am certain it will reach the billion mark for Saturday.  My husband and I have agreed to spend $500 on tickets if it does rollover.  With all those zeros we may have to buy walkers to minimize getting dizzy and falling over.....ha....

Gee, I blew $18 bucks on tickets and thought it was excessive. 

Good luck to you, tho.

Car wish list

Ferrari 355 Berlinetta 

Porsche GT3 

Lamborghini Diablo Old School Bull

Aston Martin DB7 

BMW Z8 

Shelby Mustang GT350

1967 427 Corvette Stingray 

1963 Corvette Spilt Window 

Now I need a storage building to fit 8 cars.... :-(

 Found a lottery machine that dispenses all the games including scratch offs, a.k.a "refrigerators"  in a chain drug store.

Must have been dinner time because there were few people in the store at 4:50 PM  and no line at the machine.

If a lottery pool wins won't be surprised if there will be difficulties that arise, as is often seen in the past.

Anyone have any idea how many lottery pools were formed for this drawings?

How many pool organizer's provide its members with a a copy of the pool tickets before the drawing?

We should have a winner somewhere with all the tickets being sold but if there is no winner tonight, it will be another week

of Power Ball Craze in the Media.

Good Luck LP Players

Man, I hope somebody win dis mufugga t'night, 'n' shee.
I'm sick of sein nobody win dis mufugga.
Da jackpot go up, but atda same time, so do da splits.

(please pardon the use of jive talk.  I get that way, when I get frustrated, following the lotto, draw after draw after draw after draw)

I promise you, I will be the one rolling over in their sleep,
if no one hits this thing.  It's too high for anyone's good, as it is.

Think of the splits.

Right now, Amma setting inside, wif all my lotto tickets, jessa waiting, and waiting, watchin' all kindsa shows, and not even be payin' attenshn, ma mind is focused on dat doggone lotto.

Please, if you win it all, could you see your way to giving me .5 million.  Das all I need. And I'm going to stop playin'.

(no party happening here)

i want it to rollover because then that would be big news for the next few days, the press, the attention, and a possible 1 billion dollar jackpot, it'll make things more interesting for a while rather than the same old news but good luck to all.

Ha Ha... I wagered $3 less than you and thought the same thing...

Let "the whales" bet away... I'm just krill in this betting pool

Yes, good luck to you, as well.

But when it turned 300 million, that's all the big news I needed.

Sales are on fire (over $100 million in excess of my estimate), cash starting at around $413 million if no winner tonight.

Believe it or not, ~60% chance no winner. 100% chance I am not participating tonight. LOL

No way it goes to 1 billion like so many says. If rolls over tonight, then likely 650-700MM on saturday.

That's nuts... 60%

What the chance (typically) when the jackpot is a measly 40 or 50 million... I'm surprised at how often it gets hit then

I actually have 2 lottery pools I run at the office when the cash option reaches $100m. One is entire office, the other just our group (supervisor & 4 reports). For the bigger pool, we have 19 regulars and two irregular players out of about 30. We have 4 who never play for religious or other reasons and they are excluded from the email I send out before each drawing. I give a minimum 24 hours, use the same wording each time saying it is up to you to join & what the deadlines are. I also keep a bank for those who want to 'prepay' & several who work from home. I also give everyone's bank balance, and note who is short in the bank for that drawing. I don't float anyone. Tickets are bought prior to noon on draw day, and everyone who played gets copies via email before 3 in the afternoon with the same wording stating how many players, cash option, split evenly (no one can contribute more than 1 'share'), and winnings of less than $1 per member are rolled. When we have winnings to roll over, only those players have those tickets and a new pool is formed in case any of the irregular players want to join. 

We have 2 retirees and for now, one on medical leave. Those 3 have been regulars for years, so others tend to cover them if they don't have enough 'banked'. We also have one former regular who is going through a very nasty divorce who emailed me to drop her from any lottery pool correspondence because of the divorce. I've kept that email for backup.

I was actually surprised our two irregulars didn't join. I asked one (tax guy), he laughed at me. I told he was out officially for that drawing. The other didn't have cash and said maybe next drawing.

It's fun, and I kind of enjoy doing it. Mostly, I'd love to have that skype call to the corp office in Stamford when we tell them they need to start posting job openings. 

And yes, I do play my own tickets, but I never buy them at the same time as the pools.

News Channel 5 in Cleveland said that if there is no winner in this drawing, it can be more than $675 million.

Let the game begin. Could be tonight, because you never just don't know.

Good Fortune to all that played tonight!

It could be $600M by the time of the drawing. If it rolls on after tonight it would start in the $700M range but could approach a billion by Saturday night.

I don't think it will be a billion Saturday. That would require them to sell about $1.24 billion in tickets for tonight and Saturday night.

You have fantastic taste in cars, we can be best friends. You are going have up that to at least 10 cars, I can't believe you forgot the 427 Cobra and the Eleanor Mustang. 

I'll give you those two if I win... :)

Oh and we can't forget a Venom Viper :)

Got 1 QP and 1 my own numbers...

So.... make that $500,000,004? lol

Reaching a billion in one more draw is possible, but not likely. Even if it tops out at 550 tonight that's an increase of 450, which is 50% more than we've ever seen before, and that was almost 4 years ago. I'd guess 800+, and wouldn't be hugely surprised if it got to 900, but I wouldn't expect a billion.

As for how many tickets, they need another $306 million in cash if tonight ends at an even $500. At 68 cents from each ticket that's 450 million tickets.  Depending on the reserve fund it might take a bit more, but not even close to 1.2 billion (including the 170 million or so for the current roll).

FWIW, the record jump of almost $300 million for the MM record jackpot took sales of 651 million tickets, but that was at only $1 each. I'm guessing that the people who would spend $100, $200, or $500 on $1 MM tickets will spend the same amount and only buy half as many $2 PB tickets.

With the minimum jackpot, there's about a 5% chance of a winner.

nice job you must have if you can devote all that time and energy to running and keeping all that straight. if the impossible ever happens there will be issues and lawsuits for sure from anyone who got left out that week.

ME TOO!!! As much as I would love to win it tonight (and wouldn't even mind splitting it at this point), I do want to see how far it will go because it has been one of the wackiest jackpots already. It's a JP that decreased in sales at the $300M mark and now it's jumped $100M between draws at the $400M mark. Plus, the CV is outstanding. A wacky and fantastic JP run deserves a one of a kind ending.

Final probabilities for numbers of winners, assuming $316M in sales, utilizing a Poisson distribution and assuming randomization:

The expectation value, pre-tax, is 0.63.

That's the crazy thing. I stopped at two different places that usually have lines when the JP is big, and there was no one. Not at the machines, not at the register, everyone was just doing their own thing and didn't seem to care at all about the lottery. It was lunch time and a lot of people were milling about, just not buying tickets. 

I remember right before Gloria won, I couldn't go anywhere without hearing people talking about it. Check out lines, restaurants, the office, there as a lot of hoopla. It's been pretty much radio silence and less craziness this time, at least where I live. So you saying there was no line at the machine where you are seems in keeping  with what I've seen too.

Only if we were in Britain. Even if we didn't have to wait decades to get the whole thing, there's still a big chunk of money going to taxes that the winner will never see, so not half billionaire yet. If it rolls to next Wednesday, then yes.

The annuity jackpot for Saturdays drawing ended up being 355.8 mil with a cash value showing 218.4 mil. The cash value right now is showing 306 mil. I think 34% of sales go to the jackpot. This would be about 88 mil higher which would take around 260 mil in sales to increase this much. I might be wrong in how i figured this and if so someone out might point it out.

Todd i agree that if nobody hits it tonight and it ends up at 500 m 675 m would be a very low number for it to initially go to. I think it would be close to the 725-750 amount

I'll guess a  660 start if it rolls.

I'll guess a $750M starting, then over a billion by Sat draw time.

Cha-ching....

$535.2M annuity at last estimate.......

The official jackpot tally for this drawing was $524.1 million.

I bought 2 lines for my sister with PowerPlay.

All she had was the Powerball (17) .

Whatever that's worth?

Good Luck.

Would be great if it reached a billion but it's unlikely, will probably peak around the 750M mark as mentioned (and if no one won tonight's draw).

OK all....to the best of my knowledge....NO WINNER!

15 second place winners (1 PowerPlay)

*Of course, nothing official until MUSL posts the next jackpot....but not gonna wait, off to bed and will probably play Saturday :)

Looks like no winner tonight

No winner tonight.

The jackpot for Saturday is a world record $675 million -- and surely much bigger than that by draw time!

You know the lotteries are all smiles. LOL

Will easily be 800 million by draw time. i guarantee it

How do you guys know there isn't a winner tonight? Where do you guys check at?

I don't know how Todd checks but MUSL has a data feed that goes to all the lottery vendors. The number of winners gets posted in advance of the jackpot being updated....usually 15 minutes before but sometimes sooner. The lotteries won't post these figures until the jackpot is made official

Holy giganticus ball o' balls... this is a bit of fun, isn't it.

LOL GG...the madness of the new matrix may create the new world owner...lol

OMG.

Kaaaaaaaaty!  Bar the door!!!  This will be a billion by drawing time

New cash value is $413.1 million — second-largest ever.

it will surley be the largest cash value by the time draw time comes

Step aside, Bill Gates. 

To avoid the long lines, I'm getting my $500 worth of PB tickets tomorrow morning!  If I had kids I'd sell them to the traveling circus and buy more tickets.....ha!  It's time to go bonkers people.....

Well we are now entering uncharted territory. Cash value could easily hit 500M which would make it tops, and that translates to a 816 jackpot total. That would make me reconsider the cash instead of annuity decision.

Kyle r u David Edwards incarnate? If you don't know who that is then please Google his name along with "Powerball Winner"

The cash value ended up going up 102 million on tonight's drawing. If my math is right they must have had about 300 million in sales. While there is no doubt the annuity amount will set a new high record the cash record will take about 450 million in sales to reach a new record there. The advertised JP of 675 million is really a very low estimate and will probably be raised daily until the drawing on Saturday.

Even spending $500 your odds of winning are worse than 1 in 1 million

I bought 1 and only 1 ticket for Saturday. If it rolls again, maybe 10 :)