Powerball... Odds of a shared jackpot?

Quote: Buzzard

Don't waste your money. I just bought the winning ticket.

Really!? I didn't know we picked the same numbers!

YES!!!!

I matched a number (29), first time I've ever matched a number!!!

I have probably only bought ten or less PB tickets, lifetime.

Quote: Mission146

YES!!!!

I matched a number (29), first time I've ever matched a number!!!

I have probably only bought ten or less PB tickets, lifetime.

That's the first time you matched a number? :-\

Of the 10 tickets I bought, I got the Powerball on one...blah

And I'm pretty positive there won't be a rollover. All white balls were less than 32. And the powerball is less than 10 (not sure, but I am guessing hand pickers pick single digits for the PB more often).

Quote: tringlomane

That's the first time you matched a number? :-\

Of the 10 tickets I bought, I got the Powerball on one...blah

And I'm pretty positive there won't be a rollover. All white balls were less than 32. And the powerball is less than 10 (not sure, but I am guessing hand pickers pick single digits for the PB more often).

I don't really know anything about what the pickers choose for the PB, but I do know that the pickers have a tendency to play birthday months/days, so by necessity (if they played all months/days) then all of their numbers would be less than 31.

That is the first time I have ever matched a number. Quick Hits is much more fun than the PB, though the five minutes that I allowed myself to fantasize about what I would do with a couple hundred million earlier today was rather enjoyable. I ended up between buying a B&B and living quietly off of that and my investments or purchasing a small casino, never did get around to deciding.

Quote: tringlomane

Quote: Mission146

YES!!!!

I matched a number (29), first time I've ever matched a number!!!

I have probably only bought ten or less PB tickets, lifetime.

That's the first time you matched a number? :-\

Of the 10 tickets I bought, I got the Powerball on one...blah

And I'm pretty positive there won't be a rollover. All white balls were less than 32. And the powerball is less than 10 (not sure, but I am guessing hand pickers pick single digits for the PB more often).

Same exact think I thought. Although 80% of tickets are QPs, so at least that many of them follow a normal distibution. As for the other 20%, I'd agree that they lean towards smaller numbers. If 15% of tickets heavily lean towards small numbers that is significant. In fact, that's why I tend to pick high numbers on the rare occasions I play lottery. (Almost didn't even play this one. Ended up buying one ticket.)

Quote: Boney526

Same exact think I thought. Although 80% of tickets are QPs, so at least that many of them follow a normal distibution. As for the other 20%, I'd agree that they lean towards smaller numbers. If 15% of tickets heavily lean towards small numbers that is significant. In fact, that's why I tend to pick high numbers on the rare occasions I play lottery. (Almost didn't even play this one. Ended up buying one ticket.)

The computer gave me one >31 ticket at random, with a PB of 35 to boot. The chances of getting all whites 32 or higher is 1.96%. I was happy to see it until the draw numbers came...bah.

Edit: My state of MO won a share of the jackpot..lucky jerks. 2 winners total, one also in AZ.

Quote:

Early Thursday morning officials confirmed that two winning tickets were sold: One in Arizona and one in Missouri. An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57556106/powerball-officials-record-jackpot-has-been-won/

It is now up to "only" 320 MM dollars... demand seems high as Indiana terminals all went offline much earlier today.

I think its approaching that magic territory of duplicate winners so I'm not going out to buy a ticket. Clearly however its making headlines in multiple states so there remains a great deal of interest.

Quote: FleaStiff

It is now up to "only" 320 MM dollars... demand seems high as Indiana terminals all went offline much earlier today.

I think its approaching that magic territory of duplicate winners so I'm not going out to buy a ticket. Clearly however its making headlines in multiple states so there remains a great deal of interest.

I'm sick after returning from my trip to Tunica, so not buying any tonight...bought some on Wed. (my birthday)...still have yet to check them. So let's hope I won $1M! lol

http://www.usamega.com/powerball-jackpot.asp

As you can see, the advertised amount is greatly different from what you'd receive for winning the "$320 million" jackpot.

For example, here in New Jersey, you would only get $127,308,600 -- and you'd likely still owe more taxes if you didn't get very sophisticated tax advice and planning.

Also, if you took the annuity option instead of the cash, your first payment would be "only" $3,663,016 after withholding -- nearly 100 times less than the advertised jackpot.

One interesting question is whether it would be wiser to select the cash or annuity amount. I guess it depends on age, mainly. The annuity has the benefit of the state investing the jackpot for you, and providing a guaranteed income that is only taxed once -- not twice, as it would be if you were to invest the cash lump sum yourself.

However, the annuity prize is split into 30 payments, which increase by 4 percent each year. So if you wanted a really big-ticket item, you might not be able to afford it. Although I am sure you could arrange a line of credit.

Another interesting question is, if you won, where would you live? Obviously you could travel whenever and wherever you wanted, and own homes in many wonderful places. But where would you keep your primary residence? The same town you're in now? Or someplace else?

Quote: tringlomane

I'm sick after returning from my trip to Tunica, so not buying any tonight...bought some on Wed. (my birthday)...still have yet to check them. So let's hope I won $1M! lol

How did your Tunica Trip go? I take it the trip didn't go well. Do you mind telling me where you played?

Quote: sodawater

Another interesting question is, if you won, where would you live? Obviously you could travel whenever and wherever you wanted, and own homes in many wonderful places. But where would you keep your primary residence? The same town you're in now? Or someplace else?

I would stay in the same place I am now and not travel much. I'd remain anonymous if that is at all possible, so I would probably just continue to work where I work now for a few months and then switch to a part-time job that is less hours per week, or maybe a full-time job that is only 40 hours per week. Everything would be paid off, mortgage and all of that, and I would continue to drive automobiles that would be within my means to buy now.

I suppose we'd take more vacations, and just lie about where we are going so as to not make it seem as though the vacations cost as much as they would.

I might buy some kind of business, play it off like I'm taking a major chance for the first couple years...

Quote: sodawater

Another interesting question is, if you won, where would you live? Obviously you could travel whenever and wherever you wanted, and own homes in many wonderful places. But where would you keep your primary residence? The same town you're in now? Or someplace else?

Liechtenstein.

Quote: sodawater

Another interesting question is, if you won, where would you live?

Quote: Mission146

I'd remain anonymous if that is at all possible....

If I were delusional enough to think I was really going to win the big one, I would buy my tickets in Delaware, where they allow jackpot winners to remain anonymous and don't impose a state income tax on the winnings. Then, either before claiming a cash prize or at least early on in an annuity payout (more likely), I would establish official residence in a state without personal income taxes, spending whatever amount of time there as necessary to maintain that tax status and doing whatever & being wherever I wanted for the rest of the time.

deleted

If I won one of these major jackpots, I would start a non-profit charity and donate the winning ticket to it. Then I would just take a salary for running it and give the money away for noble causes, assuming the charity wouldn't have to pay taxes on the lotto win.

I'd pick three cities without an extradition treaty with the US and put 10mil in each. You know, just in case.