# Powerball - do you bother to check you non-jackpot tickets? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150 "2016-01-14T17:25:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/1 "2016-01-14T17:25:10Z")
Before I even got out of bed this morning, the radio stated there were no Powerball jackpot winners in my state. Oh well, it was a nice fantasy for a few days but time to move on with life. The tickets I bought for Saturday’s drawing are still (I think) in the pocket of the jacket I was wearing on Sat, & since I bought them when I was in another state there’s none of that “local ticket wins $1 million” buzz. On the rare times I do buy tickets, I’m real bad about checking them once I know I didn’t win the jackpot. Maybe that’s because today was typical; I did check them & I _didn’t have a single #_ across my $12 [del]investment[/Del] donation to senior citizens. Do you bother to check your tix if you know you didn’t get the big prize? Right away or, meh, whenever you get around to it? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/2 "2016-01-14T17:28:41Z")
I have a short stack of unchecked tickets. Maybe a dozen or so. I’m not a regular lotto player. I’ll buy a ticket if I happen to be picking something up at the gas station convenience store when I fill up. I’ll probably get around to checking them this weekend. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/3 "2016-01-14T18:36:18Z")
After I once won $5,000 with a non-winning ticket that matched 4 of the (then) 5 numbers in our state lottery, I have checked mine religiously ever since. ---
**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 14, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/4 "2016-01-14T18:41:34Z")
Yes, but it could be a long time. They have the scanners at the store, I’ll see one and recall that I have ticket, sometimes. I’ve probably lost some or let them expire. The stores post a sign when they’ve sold winners in the thousands of dollars, not sure if they do that before the ticket is claimed though, so it’s possible I’ve missed a large non-jackpot amount. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/5 "2016-01-14T19:34:10Z")
When I buy lottery tickets I put them in the same place in my wallet. When I’m at a store with a scanner I check them. Why wouldn’t I? ---
**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 14, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/6 "2016-01-14T19:42:44Z")
I tend to buy a ticket and leave it in my coat. After the drawing, if I hear that the winner was three states over, I usually leave it in my pocket until next time I’m at the shop where I bought it and I’ll scan it. I did check this one since the numbers and ticket happened to be right in front of me. Zero-outta-six numbers. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/7 "2016-01-16T06:13:19Z")
The chances of you winning a less-than-jackpot prize, while still remote, are much better than your odds for the jackpot. For example, for the jackpot it’s 1 in 292,201,338. For 5 out of 5 with no powerball 1 in 11,688,054 and that’s a million dollars. For 4 out of 5 + powerball 1 in 913,130 for $50,000 For 4 out of 5, no powerball 1 in 36,526 for $100 For 3 out of 5 + powerball 1 in 14,495 for $100 The prizes fall off after that, but for 1 + powerball or just the powerball it’s $4, which is still worth checking your tix. Odds for getting just the powerball? 1 in 39. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/8 "2016-01-16T07:07:50Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > The chances of you winning a less-than-jackpot prize, while still remote, are much better than your odds for the jackpot. And the “2nd place” prize (5 numbers but no Powerball) is $1,000,000 (without the “Power Play” thing). 4 Numbers + Powerball gets you $50,000. OP - Would that simply not be worth it enough for you to even bother checking? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/9 "2016-01-16T07:09:57Z")
It boggles my mind that one would not check if you didn’t win the grand prize. Seriously? I mean, I didn’t check mine right away, but I got 3 of 6 (including the Powerball), so that’s $7 for my troubles. The secondary prizes of a mil and $50 Gs sound pretty good to me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/10 "2016-01-16T10:46:23Z")
I buy my tickets online. I get an email when I have that rare win. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-do-you-bother-to-check-you-non-jackpot-tickets/743150/11 "2016-01-17T00:05:36Z")
Granted I don’t play often, & Wawa (regional convenience store chain) has an automated machine to buy them but I didn’t even know there _were_ scanners to read them. I’ll have to look next time I go to the store.