# Powerball Frenzy and you.....or not..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 28, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388 "2012-11-28T17:40:02Z")\ **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:** [November 28, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/1 "2012-11-28T17:40:02Z")
With a half billion jackpot sitting there for the taking, are you inclined to buy a ticket? [Count me out.](http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/27/3937468/powerball-frenzy-grows-in-500.html) The lottery gods hate me. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/2 "2012-11-28T17:44:13Z")
My gas tank took 27.97 last night, figured that was a sign. I gave the attendant 30 and bought a powerball ticket. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/3 "2012-11-28T17:44:24Z")
So you’re saying that the jackpot, which is normally More Money Than I’d Know What To Do With, has increased to More Money Than I’d Know What To Do With? And the chance of winning this jackpot is still Dream On%? Why yes, that does put me in a frenzy. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/4 "2012-11-28T17:45:15Z")
A bunch of us from my office chipped in and bought 15 tickets. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/5 "2012-11-28T17:46:16Z")
Got two tickets. Not a huge expense and I didn’t go crazy about it. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/6 "2012-11-28T17:47:41Z")
I’ll buy a ticket. A few dollars is fine admission for a few hours of what-if. And I hate to break it to you, **a** (can I call you **a**?) but by buying 15 tickets instead of 1, you upped your chances of winning by approximately 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000001% (rounded). ---
**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:** [November 28, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/7 "2012-11-28T17:48:29Z")
A 250,000,000:1 potential payout is a pretty good reason to waste $2 on a ticket. This is probably not a once in a lifetime opportunity for most since lotteries will continue to grow, but it’s rare enough that you can’t be too critical of someone playing it this one time. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/8 "2012-11-28T17:52:39Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > With a half billion jackpot sitting there for the taking, are you inclined to buy a ticket? > > [Count me out.](http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/27/3937468/powerball-frenzy-grows-in-500.html) The lottery gods hate me. Waste of money. Also, wasn’t there a study that showed lottery winners are generally worse off down the road? Or is my brain making that up? ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/9 "2012-11-28T17:55:58Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > Waste of money. > > Also, wasn’t there a study that showed lottery winners are generally worse off down the road? Or is my brain making that up? How many waste of money items do you buy a week? 2$ for that pot is pot oddsworthy 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/10 "2012-11-28T17:58:00Z")
We will be buying a couple of tickets today. Not because we think we’re going to win, but because it is worth the $4 to be able to sit and dream about all the things we would do with that money, getting sillier and sillier as we go. With that last jackpot that was $640 million we got to the point where we would be cloning dinosaurs and training them to fly fighter jets in homage to Calvin and Hobbes.😛 ---
**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:** [November 28, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/11 "2012-11-28T17:59:50Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > Also, wasn’t there a study that showed lottery winners are generally worse off down the road? Or is my brain making that up? There are a lot of lottery winners that can’t handle the sudden wealth and end up pissing it all away, and often create a lot of turmoil among their family and friends. But I recall that most winners end up better off financially long term. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/12 "2012-11-28T18:03:44Z")
I bought a ticket for the hell of it. I realize I probably have a better chance of dying in an avalanche here in southern TN than I do of actually winning anything (and I never win anything, ever), but what the hell. As someone above said, I can dream a bit anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/13 "2012-11-28T18:05:32Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > A few dollars is fine admission for a few hours of what-if. This is why I buy tickets. I usually drop a couple bucks on the Powerball when it breaks 100 million, and then I get to fantasize about what I would do with all that money. Having the ticket gives me just enough of a whiff of ‘what if’ to make it extra satisfying to think about. I know it’s irrational and a waste of time and money, but so is most of what I spend my disposable income and leisure time on. Anyway, when I win the Powerball jackpot tonight I’ll give ten grand to everyone in this thread who posted above me. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/14 "2012-11-28T18:06:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > There are a lot of lottery winners that can’t handle the sudden wealth and end up pissing it all away, and often create a lot of turmoil among their family and friends. But I recall that most winners end up better off financially long term. Those are also the ones that make for better news stories than the ones who live happily ever after. I buy 2 draws every Wednesday, sometimes 2 on Saturday if the mood takes me. I bought 5 draws today, because why not. Yeah, the odds are still pretty astronomical, but what the hell. Edit: Dammit! No ten grand for me. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/15 "2012-11-28T18:20:18Z")
I might buy one tonight if the lines aren’t too long at the place where I buy my morning breakfast of energy drinks. Haven’t bought one since I was 21, so I figure a $2 lark after 17 years of no gambling isn’t too bad. ETA: yes, “my morning” is tonight. Gotta love third shift. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/16 "2012-11-28T18:22:21Z")
Contributed to the office pool, which has gotten so large that the share of “What If” has decreased to “We could pay off our mortgage, buy a nice car, and have kids now instead of waiting a few years”. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/17 "2012-11-28T18:37:47Z")
I pick up 2: one for me, & one for my elderly Dad. We can dream a little… ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/18 "2012-11-28T18:45:03Z")
I did buy a ticket, even though I know I won’t win, just for the what-if. I figure if I drank coffee I’d spend that much on a coffee at Starbuck’s, so why not waste it here instead? No lines at all. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/19 "2012-11-28T18:46:48Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > I buy 2 draws every Wednesday, sometimes 2 on Saturday if the mood takes me. I bought 5 draws today, because why not. Yeah, the odds are still pretty astronomical, but what the hell. I used to buy 5 tickets at a time when the mood struck me, back when it was $1 a ticket. The mood sometimes struck me too often. But when the price jumped to $2 a ticket I just stopped buying them. Last week I went in and forgot about the price change, asked for 5 tickets and ended up spening $10. I’ll probably just spend the 10 later today also. There is that 'what the hell' factor, it's HALF A BILLION DOLLAR! Whatever else I waste that money on, or spend it wisely on, has no chance of paying off that well. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388/20 "2012-11-28T18:56:56Z")
I’ve bought four tickets, so I’ll definitely be back to brag tomorrow morning about all the money I’m SURE to win. Come on lottery haters, if you’ve never blown $8 on something stupid and frivolous, you might have a leg to stand on. As it is, you just sound like killjoys. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerball-frenzy-and-you-or-not/642388.md?page=2)