# $1,300,000,000. You gonna play? (powerball) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 11, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754 "2016-01-11T00:43:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/1 "2016-01-11T00:43:24Z")
That’s an obscene amount of money, and it really needs to go to a doper. You going to invest 2 bucks in it? > **[With No Powerball Winners, Jackpot Grows to Estimated $1.3 Billion](https://abcnews.go.com/US/powerball-winners-jackpot-grows-estimated-13-billion/story?id=36184696)** WTF, it’s only 2 bucks, and I realize it’s a suckers bet, but If I win, I’m buying an island somewhere and you’re all invited for some beer and wings. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/2 "2016-01-11T00:46:42Z")
I’ve actually never played… but for a billion, I might just throw in my $2 this time. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/3 "2016-01-11T00:48:30Z")
If I can find an office pool I will put in enough that my one-time share after taxes is $10 million, because it is a positive expected value, but one that I would not play for more than $10 million because the extra money over that is not worth as much to me because I wouldn’t know what to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/4 "2016-01-11T00:55:36Z")
We bought 10 tickets today and hid them away because we have a paper-eating cat. 😃 My husband my buy into his office pool also. What the heck… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/5 "2016-01-11T00:57:11Z")
Yep. Hope springs eternal. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/6 "2016-01-11T01:02:14Z")
Well, yeah. I don’t play the lottery when it’s a paltry $10m but I’ll throw a couple bucks at it now. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/7 "2016-01-11T01:17:16Z")
Yup, I already wasted money on the last two drawings and I want a chance less than my getting hit by lightning before the next drawing to get my money back. Besides, it’s fun. I can’t imagine any other way I’d become a billionaire overnight. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/8 "2016-01-11T02:18:29Z")
Well, you could sell [Grit](http://thecomicforums.com/discussion/3310/did-you-sell-grit)… ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/9 "2016-01-11T05:50:16Z")
I’m already in for $2 ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/10 "2016-01-11T05:54:50Z")
no gambling is degeneracy ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/11 "2016-01-11T07:19:43Z")
Think of all the degeneracy I could enjoy with $1.3 billion. I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/12 "2016-01-11T07:25:08Z")
We have 5 threads about this topic. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/13 "2016-01-11T07:55:48Z")
It’s a good bet when the jackpot is that high. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/14 "2016-01-11T08:04:42Z")
I don’t have the money to waste. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/15 "2016-01-11T12:52:40Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If I can find an office pool I will put in enough that my one-time share after taxes is $10 million, because it is a positive expected value, but one that I would not play for more than $10 million because the extra money over that is not worth as much to me because I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I will help you with the burden of spending all that money, should it become necessary. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/16 "2016-01-11T12:56:34Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I don’t have the money to waste. I’ll pick up an extra ticket for you. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/17 "2016-01-11T13:10:20Z")
I’m buying in to the pool at work. No way I’m gonna chance my co-workers hitting it big and leaving me behind. If we win, I plan to go full Howard Hughes. I’m practically the poor man’s Howard Hughes as it is. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/18 "2016-01-11T14:34:30Z")
Money foolishly spent, but I am in for $ 10. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/19 "2016-01-11T14:45:44Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > no > gambling is degeneracy I knew there was a reason I love gambling. I’m in for $20. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754/20 "2016-01-11T14:53:29Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > no > gambling is degeneracy If I’m gonna be degenerate, I want it to involve lots of sex. 🙂 At any rate, I don’t want a billion bucks. Or even a hundred million. Amounts like that would be an earthquake in my life. What I need is to be part of a fairly large pool (~100 people, give or take) that will split any winnings in proportion to how many tickets you contributed, but I don’t know of one, unfortunately. I wouldn’t mind having a shot at $10M or so, at these odds. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-300-000-000-you-gonna-play-powerball/742754.md?page=2)