Current:Home > StocksAs Powerball jackpot rises to $1 billion, these are the odds of winning-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
As Powerball jackpot rises to $1 billion, these are the odds of winning
View Date:2024-12-23 18:10:37
The Powerball jackpot is now worth $1 billion, but bettors' odds of winning are slim.
The pot rose from $922 million after there were no winners in Monday's drawing for the grand prize. For $2, those who want a shot at winning the jackpot can get one ticket. The odds of winning are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Harvard University statistician Mark Glickman.
The odds of winning $1 million are 1 in 11.7 million.
If someone matches winning numbers selected at Wednesday night's drawing, the pot will be the third-largest in Powerball history and seventh-highest in U.S. lottery history.
Beyond purchasing multiple tickets, there's little players can do to improve those odds, according to betting experts. Certainly, it's extremely unlikely that you'll win the big prize, but chances are also slim that you'll win even a few bucks.
"Even if you're buying 50 tickets, the likelihood is that you're almost certain to still lose and not win the jackpot," Glickman told CBS News. "In fact, the chance at winning even $4 by playing is still pretty small."
Indeed, the odds of winning $4 — just twice the cost of a ticket — are 1 in 38.32.
As for winning the entire pot, Powerball players are significantly more likely to be attacked by a grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park (1 in 2.7 million), according to the National Park Service, or to come across a rare blue lobster in the ocean (1 in 2 million).
The odds of being struck by lighting are even higher at 1 in 15,300, according to the National Weather Service.
Can I improve my odds?
Still, for those who feel adamant about giving it a shot, the best number-picking strategy is not to pick figures associated with significant events like a birthday, for example.
Instead, use the computer's strategy for generating winning digits: Choose them randomly, or use a ticket number generator, Glickman said.
"Really the best thing you can do is be level-headed about it [and] not buy too many tickets because you're throwing away your money," he said. "The key is to pick your picks at random because that will lower your chances of splitting the money with other people."
veryGood! (832)
Related
- Oil Industry Asks Trump to Repeal Major Climate Policies
- The great supermarket souring: Why Americans are mad at grocery stores
- California fire agency employee charged with arson spent months as inmate firefighter
- Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh says Justin Herbert's ankle is 'progressing'
- Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
- 1 teen dead, 4 injured after man runs red light in New York
- CDC: Tenth death reported in listeria outbreak linked to Boar's Head meats
- Honey Boo Boo’s Lauryn Pumpkin Shannon Showcases New Romance 2 Months After Josh Efird Divorce Filing
- Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian Team Up for SKIMS Collab With Dolce & Gabbana After Feud
- A Nebraska officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man will be fired, police chief says
Ranking
- NATO’s Rutte calls for more Western support for Ukraine, warns of Russian alliances
- The Latest: Harris and Trump offer competing visions for the economy
- Garland says officers’ torture of 2 Black men was betrayal of community they swore to protect
- Rudy Giuliani disbarred in DC after pushing Trump’s false 2020 election claims
- 4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
- 1 teen dead, 4 injured after man runs red light in New York
- Holiday shoppers expected to shop online this season in record numbers
- Moving homeless people from streets to shelter isn’t easy, San Francisco outreach workers say
Recommendation
-
Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
-
Who went home on Episode 2 of 'Survivor' Season 47? See the player who was voted out
-
Oklahoma set to execute Emmanuel Littlejohn in beloved store owner's murder. What to know
-
Utah Supreme Court to decide viability of a ballot question deemed ‘counterfactual’ by lower court
-
Georgia State University is planning a $107M remake of downtown Atlanta
-
Climate solution: In the swelter of hurricane blackouts, some churches stay cool on clean power
-
Tommy John surgery is MLB's necessary evil 50 years later: 'We created this mess'
-
These are the top 5 states with the worst-behaved drivers: Ohio? Texas? You're good.