Mississippi may not participate in the multistate Powerball, but that doesn't stop its residents from crossing the state line for a chance to be the lucky winner.
Convenience store clerks in Slidell, La., say they're ready for the long lines that come with with high jackpots such as Saturday's, which is an estimated $215 million.
"We've increased staff already in preparation for Saturday," said Belinda Anthony, manager of the Race Trac on Gause Boulevard. "Basically, everybody that comes in this door will buy a ticket."
Whether they are paying for gas or buying something to drink, nearly everyone who enters the high-traffic store buys a lottery ticket. Some Thursday bought more than one.
Sandy Mackey of Diamondhead drove to Louisiana just to buy 10 quick-pick (computer-generated numbers) Powerball tickets.
"I already had one for Saturday," she said. "I usually get them when it (the jackpot) gets to be a certain point."
Mackey, who once won $100 from a Powerball ticket, hopes luck is on her side this weekend. The first thing she would do with the money is to pay off her mortgage and other bills.
Mississippians aren't the only out-of-towners who drive across state lines to buy tickets. Anthony said she has a regular customer who travels from Alabama to Slidell each week to buy hundreds of dollars worth of tickets.
The man stopped by early Wednesday to buy $1,800 worth of Powerball tickets for Wednesday night's drawing. No one won that jackpot, which was about $170 million.
Anthony said customers who come in her store today and Saturday likely will have to wait in line to get tickets.
At least one person who bought lottery tickets at the Race Trac was lucky. Anthony said the store once sold a Louisiana Lottery ticket to a man who claimed a $1 million prize.
Sales were slow Thursday morning at Jemworks Shell on Louisiana 1090 in Pearl River, La., but store owner Jody Morris said he expects sales to pick up today and Saturday. Like Anthony, he will have additional workers on Saturday to manage the expected crowds.
The Powerball drawing is held at 9:59 p.m. (Central Time) Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa. However, sales for that day's drawing stop at 9 p.m. (Central Time). Twenty-seven states plus the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., participate in Powerball.
It would be a good lesson in the brutal odds if we could find out how much the guy won from his $1800 worth of tickets. My guess is - much less than $1800.
My guess is that the $1800 was a group play. Imagine 36 players each contributing $50 each. Now they have a 1 on 67,000 chance of hitting the jackpot and walk away with $6 million (annuity) dollars each.
If they played the $50 on their own, they would only have a chance of 1 in 2.4 million of hitting the jackpot
Given the choice, I would go with the group play because I would rather have a good chance to win $6 million than a long shot at $215 million.
$1800?! Jeez. That's insane. I'd rather go with a small group myself because if I'm going to tempt the long odds of a big jackpot win I want to be set for life with the money and be able to live well and fund a few things like a business my dad has been trying to get going for about 5 years now. That alone would take about 6 million. That's why I don't play until the jackpot is 50 million.
More people I think should follow his strategy of playing a lot when the jackpot makes the odds to dollar amount almost one to one. Why waste a few bucks on small jackpots, save it up for the big one and then shoot all your bullets. Its the smart way to play the lottery I think.
Like the ILL Little Lotto, when it rolls up to 500k I drop good cash on it. I like the almost one to one ratio of money to odds. I dont bother playing when its so small. When you hit yiou want to hit big, give yourself the chance!
People who have "illegal" money spend that much money on the lottery. I know someone in Philadelphia who spends around $1000 everyday on scratchoffs and sometimes "online" games like Powerball. He is a bookie. I'm assuming the reason why he spends so much money is if he wins big, he can stop being a bookie, or he can start spending the money he makes by being a bookie without the IRS getting suspicious.
Quote:Originally posted by Jake649 on October 08, 2004
My guess is that the $1800 was a group play. Imagine 36 players each contributing $50 each. Now they have a 1 on 67,000 chance of hitting the jackpot and walk away with $6 million (annuity) dollars each.
If they played the $50 on their own, they would only have a chance of 1 in 2.4 million of hitting the jackpot
Given the choice, I would go with the group play because I would rather have a good chance to win $6 million than a long shot at $215 million.
Good luck,
Jake
A more realilistic way to look at it is there are 1800 number combinations that will win for you, and 120,524,970 combinations that will lose. 1800 tickets really doesn't make a dent in the total number combinations. If you will notice, that 1800 bucks was for Wednesdays drawing, which no one won.
Quote:Originally posted by Thomas Covenant on October 08, 200
A more realilistic way to look at it is there are 1800 number combinations that will win for you, and 120,524,970 combinations that will lose. 1800 tickets really doesn't make a dent in the total number combinations. If you will notice, that 1800 bucks was for Wednesdays drawing, which no one won.
I have been waiting for the voice of realism here remember just because you purchase more tickets does not increase your odds just your chances. Only one set of numbers win. matters little if you play one or 1800 except the let down is much easier to swallow with one than 1800. Have fun but play responsibly and enjoy.
I hope someone wins and the feeding frenzy ends soon so I can go back to playing.
1800 is way to much. guess it depends how much you have though. if i had already won another jackpot then it would just be a tax write off. most I usually spend though is around 400 or so and thats only when it breaks 300 million.
I have always disregarded odds and looked at the total number of possibilities. The person who purchased $1800 worth still has 120,524,970 (120,526,770 - 1800) possibilities not covered.
Almost 2 months and 16 draws with millions of tickets sold for each and no winner. Doesn't that tell you something?
Still nothing wrong with dreaming and hoping. But be realistic.
considering i dont play mega or powerball unless it breaks 300 million the 400 i do spend isn't that much. In fact in 2003 it was $0 dollars. So I'm not worried. If you want a finanical drain try the daily pick 3 - a long loosing streak in that game will suck out alot more money over time. I't why I had to quit playing and change how I gamble
$100 i can swing .....but $1800. If u have that much to blow on tickets why even play.
It would be a good lesson in the brutal odds if we could find out how much the guy won from his $1800 worth of tickets. My guess is - much less than $1800.
My guess is that the $1800 was a group play. Imagine 36 players each contributing $50 each. Now they have a 1 on 67,000 chance of hitting the jackpot and walk away with $6 million (annuity) dollars each.
If they played the $50 on their own, they would only have a chance of 1 in 2.4 million of hitting the jackpot
Given the choice, I would go with the group play because I would rather have a good chance to win $6 million than a long shot at $215 million.
Good luck,
Jake
$1800?! Jeez. That's insane. I'd rather go with a small group myself because if I'm going to tempt the long odds of a big jackpot win I want to be set for life with the money and be able to live well and fund a few things like a business my dad has been trying to get going for about 5 years now. That alone would take about 6 million. That's why I don't play until the jackpot is 50 million.
More people I think should follow his strategy of playing a lot when the jackpot makes the odds to dollar amount almost one to one. Why waste a few bucks on small jackpots, save it up for the big one and then shoot all your bullets. Its the smart way to play the lottery I think.
Like the ILL Little Lotto, when it rolls up to 500k I drop good cash on it. I like the almost one to one ratio of money to odds. I dont bother playing when its so small. When you hit yiou want to hit big, give yourself the chance!
People who have "illegal" money spend that much money on the lottery. I know someone in Philadelphia who spends around $1000 everyday on scratchoffs and sometimes "online" games like Powerball. He is a bookie. I'm assuming the reason why he spends so much money is if he wins big, he can stop being a bookie, or he can start spending the money he makes by being a bookie without the IRS getting suspicious.
A more realilistic way to look at it is there are 1800 number combinations that will win for you, and 120,524,970 combinations that will lose. 1800 tickets really doesn't make a dent in the total number combinations. If you will notice, that 1800 bucks was for Wednesdays drawing, which no one won.
Jake:
If they win, I highly doubt they'll choose annual payments.
I have been waiting for the voice of realism here remember just because you purchase more tickets does not increase your odds just your chances. Only one set of numbers win. matters little if you play one or 1800 except the let down is much easier to swallow with one than 1800. Have fun but play responsibly and enjoy.
I hope someone wins and the feeding frenzy ends soon so I can go back to playing.
On a different drawing...
A store 1000 ft from my house sold a $2,500,000 Wis Megabucks ticket...
I but ALOT of tickets there...
Whats worse I bought tickets at that machine THAT night. And from the same Girl that was working there that night...
I would re-check the tickets but, mr sloppy was mr clean that morning and hauled them out to the garbage...
I was THERE so close, so close, but so far.... sniff sniff...
http://www.wilottery.com/pressrelease/oct04/mb1007.htm
Arugh!
MarkP
1800 is way to much. guess it depends how much you have though. if i had already won another jackpot then it would just be a tax write off. most I usually spend though is around 400 or so and thats only when it breaks 300 million.
dude. $100 is reasonable, depending on the jackpot. anything more is not a good idea.
I have always disregarded odds and looked at the total number of possibilities. The person who purchased $1800 worth still has 120,524,970 (120,526,770 - 1800) possibilities not covered.
Almost 2 months and 16 draws with millions of tickets sold for each and no winner. Doesn't that tell you something?
Still nothing wrong with dreaming and hoping. But be realistic.
considering i dont play mega or powerball unless it breaks 300 million the 400 i do spend isn't that much. In fact in 2003 it was $0 dollars. So I'm not worried. If you want a finanical drain try the daily pick 3 - a long loosing streak in that game will suck out alot more money over time. I't why I had to quit playing and change how I gamble
so as to spend less.