WASHINGTON — A jaw-dropping Powerball jackpot is almost here. The next drawing is Saturday night and the estimated jackpot, as of Friday morning, is $1.5 billion. Do you have your ticket yet? We’ll Verify your chances of trading that in for the big bucks.
THE SOURCES:
The Multi-State Lottery Association
WHAT WE FOUND:
It takes luck to win the lottery, but facts don’t hurt either. That’s why we Verify.
What are the odds of winning?
According to Powerball, a ticketholder has a one in 24.9 chance of winning some prize, and a 1-in-292.2 million chance of winning the jackpot.
Any difference in automatic versus picking your own numbers?
Interestingly enough, according to Powerball your odds are the same no matter how many tickets are played, what the jackpot is–or the numbers you play.
So that means having a machine pick your numbers might save you some time, but doesn’t give you and advantage or disadvantage. (It’s just as unlikely to be a winner either way.)
At least it’s for a good cause, right?
The lottery is a state-level fundraiser, with a portion of lottery sales going to education funding. How much depends on the lottery jurisdiction.
Virginia lottery says 28 percent of revenue goes toward K-12 education.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency reports 25 percent of lottery revenue goes to the General Fund of the State Treasury to support education, public health, public safety, and other government programs.
It’s similar in DC, where last year, DC Lottery says about a quarter of their revenue went to the general fund.
What numbers give you the best odds of winning?
Actually, according to the statisticians at the Multi-State Lottery Commission, your odds actually remain statistically the same no matter the numbers you play.
However, a lot of effort goes in to trying to game this out: We looked at four different sites dedicated to tracking these lotto trends. Both in the last year and since 2015, the most common Powerball drawn is 24; this year, 11 has also been pretty strong. The most common draws in the past year, according to BeatLottery.net: 36, 37, 39, 6, and 15.
Since we’re hoping for someone reading this wins, let’s help them plan ahead: what’s the better option, lump sum, or payments?
It’s personal preference of course, but here’s how it works.
According to the Multi-State Lottery Association:If the annuity payment option is selected, the winner is guaranteed to receive 30 graduated payments over 29 years. Those payments go up by 5 percent each time, and of course can be invested, gain interest, etc. According to Powerball, you can pass along the annuity payments in your estate.
The lump sum is that “cash value” advertised, all at once. It’s best to consult with attorneys and legal advisors before making any decision and to determine what’s best for you.
But remember, all of these numbers are estimates until various numbers, including final ticket sales, are crunched.
Please remember, it’s always important to gamble responsibly and within your means.