# No Winner in the (US) PowerBall Again **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 6, 2022, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461 "2022-11-06T10:19:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/1 "2022-11-06T10:19:20Z")
We had a thread a month or so ago, but there was no winner in the multistate power ball Saturday night. I suppose this means the Monday drawing will have a headline prize well north of two billion dollars. I have bought $20 of tickets three times of late. That is enough for me. Not buying a ticket is a cheaper form of gambling. If the local shop sells the big ticket, that means I lose. Nonetheless, two billion (call it $1.2B or so if you take the cash). is intriguing. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/2 "2022-11-06T10:47:16Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Not buying a ticket is a cheaper form of gambling. If the local shop sells the big ticket, that means I lose. I’m not sure what either of these statements mean. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/3 "2022-11-06T10:53:28Z")
Forgive me if I was unclear. 1. I will not buy a ticket this time. 2. If a winning ticket is bought from the shop I usually buy from, that means I will feel I lost my no-cost bet. I hope I am clear. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/4 "2022-11-06T11:06:39Z")
Ah, the “It could’ve been me” theory. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/5 "2022-11-06T11:20:46Z")
For the past 3 draws I’ve bought $20 in tickets (10 plays each) and literally closest I’ve gotten was 2 numbers and neither was the Powerball. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/6 "2022-11-06T11:22:22Z")
For $60 in tickets I won $4. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/7 "2022-11-06T11:22:40Z")
I manage the lottery inventory where I work part of the week. Some of the people buying have lost their goddamned minds. We had to put in a special order for more tickets, because while folks are buying a buttload of Powerball tickets they decide to pick up a half dozen or dozen or couple dozen scratchers to go with them (the scratchers actually have much better odds of winning, even if the prize is much smaller. Which is not to say the odds are great, they aren’t, just better). Our lottery sales were four times normal yesterday. The longer this rollover thing goes on the crazier it’s going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/8 "2022-11-06T11:38:54Z")
I’m still not sure how “not buying a ticket is a cheaper form of gambling.” It’s not gambling at all in any meaningful way I can see. But it’s a minor point, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/9 "2022-11-06T11:39:33Z")
On the plus side your employer is raking in the commissions. Problem is it’s a gamble scheduling the hours for this. We will be doing a pizza party and two hours of extra PTO for the service desk staff after this is over. Hopefully your employer does something similar. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/10 "2022-11-06T12:20:55Z")
I only risk about $4 per drawing. For last night’s, I bought in to our office pool for $4 and bought our own stand-alone ticket for $4 too. Didn’t hit one single number in either case! I guess I’ll do another $4 for the next drawing. I only play when jackpots get crazy big so that’s just a few dollars every other year or so. Yep, next jackpot should be in the neighborhood of $2 billion. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/11 "2022-11-06T12:27:37Z")
The trick is to buy one ticket of the cheapest value that you can get and not check it after the draw. Until a winner reveals that they have the winning ticket, the chance that the winner is your unchecked ticket rises, enabling you to continue dreaming of untold wealth. Of course if a winner comes forward or the purchase point of the winning ticket is revealed…phtt, your dream is over. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/12 "2022-11-06T14:22:59Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I’m still not sure how “not buying a ticket is a cheaper form of gambling.” It’s not gambling at all in any meaningful way I can see. I can sort of see it: - If it’s revealed that the winning ticket was sold by the local shop, you lose in the sense that you passed up a chance for meaningful odds of winning by failing to spend $20 on tickets there. - If the winning ticket was sold elsewhere, you win by still possessing the $20 you might have foolishly given away. Thus, you’re risking sharp disappointment against the reward of being $20 ahead. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/13 "2022-11-06T16:09:01Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > But it’s a minor point, I suppose. We very often get distracted by minor points around here. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/14 "2022-11-06T16:12:51Z")
The odds of hitting all six numbers is close to 1 in 300 million. Paying more than $2 at a time will not significantly raise your chance of winning. I paid $2 to get in on Wednesday’s drawing. Still haven’t bothered to check if any numbers matched. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/15 "2022-11-06T19:14:04Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > It’s not gambling at all in any meaningful way I can see. Try substituting the word “risking” if you choose. You don’t have to have money invested in something to make it a gamble or not. By not buying a ticket, you “risk” not winning. It’s not all that hard to see what he’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/16 "2022-11-06T19:20:48Z")
No winner last night, either. The jackpot for Monday’s drawing is now at an unprecedented $1.9 billion. At my 7-Eleven, I’ve had people who’ve never bought a single ticket in their lives coming in and buying, like, 10. In fact, last night, my big self-appointed sales push was, “Hey, PowerBall’s at $1.6 billion tonight. Wanna take a shot?” And it _worked_ a lot of the time. My running gag, which I said to several people, was that if I ever won the jackpot, it would turn me completely obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/17 "2022-11-07T00:47:40Z")
According to Powerball, the expected 1.9 billion pot for 11/7 translates to 929 million in on-the-spot cashout. Either way an insane, and insanely improbable, windfall. I never buy more than one, or perhaps two, plays, and rarely until the pot gets stupid big, because hell, why not – I’d probably eat something unhealthy from the vending machine for those 2 or 3 bucks anyway. And I can always spend some minutes fantasizing about life as an idle wealthy eccentric. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/18 "2022-11-07T00:58:07Z")
After taxes that would be half-a-billion payout. I’m getting 10 tickets instead of 5. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/19 "2022-11-07T03:44:25Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > For $60 in tickets I won $4. For $4 in tickets, I won $4. I’m now playing with house money! ---
**Author:** ![TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thegunismightierthanthepen/32/2981_2.png) [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheGunIsMightierThanThePen)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461/20 "2022-11-07T04:59:23Z")
My favorite saying about lotteries: “Someone will eventually win. It just won’t be _you_”. As an experiment, I used an online Powerball picks generator to generate 5 random lines prior to the November 5th drawing, to simulate how I would do if I had spent a not-terribly-crazy $10 on tickets. I matched only **one** number, and it wasn’t the Powerball number. $10 well saved. I plan to repeat this experiment for tomorrow night’s drawing, but with 10 lines this time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-winner-in-the-us-powerball-again/974461.md?page=2)