Lottery Jackpots - Never seen this Before

[St. Phatty]

Mega Millions at $868 Million ?!

OR state lottery at $8.4 Million.

What are the odds of the jackpot going un-won so many times ?

3-45-49-61-69 9 x5 were the numbers for Mega Millions.

I don't understand the x5, it's a 5+1 number system.

2-3-17-19-23-38 were the numbers for Mega Bucks.

It's a 6 number system.

Someone at ICMag told me the odds for Megabucks was 1 in 12.5 million. You get 2 draws for the $1.

Of course, pay-out is only 55% to 60%, so with these huge jackpots, the pay-out for Mega Millions is only about $500 million.

That is above even. So if you had a corporation, trust, or LLC or something set up to avoid taxes - and could play thousands or millions of numbers, without paying someone to stand there feeding $1 bills to the machine - you might have a positive return.

In any case, I'm desperate enough to spend $5 or $20 playing MegaMillions.

If it's not won, the claimed jackpot will go over $1 Billion, though with 'only' a $700 million payout.

Can anybody here figure out the odds of the Jackpot going un-won ?

 

[igrowone]

not sure how much tax avoidance is possible
perhaps some of the more informed can comment on this
nice payday taxes or not

 

[CosmicGiggle]

I never play lotto but just bought $20 of the mega million 'cause I was already in line and everyone else was doing it too!

..... we'll see about those odds.

 

[Capt.Ahab]

Actually, I bought two quick picks earlier this week.
Cant win if you dont play.

 

[Sall]

I never play lotto but just bought $20 of the mega million 'cause I was already in line and everyone else was doing it too!

..... we'll see about those odds.

Fingers crossed, it's like one to 300 millions. If win next round is on You.

 

[rolandomota]

My secret to win every time 100% guaranteed is... drum roll please....buy all the mega numbers it will be expensive but you win for sure at least once and you have a lot of shots at the smaller prizes. Make a lotto pool amongst co workers or friends

 

[St. Phatty]

I think it's possible that God has the ability to influence the outcome, sort of how on the TV show "Heroes", the little kids have the ability to touch a machine and make it do what they want, except with real science involved.

However, God also has a policy of STRICT non-interference, unlike what the Christians who pray to him may believe.

I promise not to flip God the Finger, if I don't win.

That would be Crossing the Line.

 

[mean mr.mustard]

He gave you the finger in the first place.

 

[rod58]

here in australia we just had a lotto prize that had jackpotted to 80 million , which was very large by our standards so i bought a ticket .
now normally i just don't buy into lotto because of the odds .
the odds for this draw came in at ,,wait for it ..drum roll ..390 million to one ..
why would you ?

 

[mean mr.mustard]

If you win your chances of dying dramatically increase.

Roll the bones.

 

[LadyGuru]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ns-powerball-odds-winning-jackpot/1656732002/

"Your chances of winning Tuesday's Mega Millions were a jaw-dropping 302,575,350 to 1"

Odds have to be lower now.....

"In fact, you are 258 times more likely to be struck by lightning this year than win the Mega Millions jackpot, according to data from the National Weather Service. "

"Other crazy comparisons: At 1 in 3,748,067, you are 80 times more likely to be killed by a shark this year than win the Mega Millions, the International Shark Attack File"

 

[armedoldhippy]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ns-powerball-odds-winning-jackpot/1656732002/

"Your chances of winning Tuesday's Mega Millions were a jaw-dropping 302,575,350 to 1"

Odds have to be lower now.....

"In fact, you are 258 times more likely to be struck by lightning this year than win the Mega Millions jackpot, according to data from the National Weather Service. "

"Other crazy comparisons: At 1 in 3,748,067, you are 80 times more likely to be killed by a shark this year than win the Mega Millions, the International Shark Attack File"

gonna have to be a land shark, or a sharknado...

 

[St. Phatty]

I had a close encounter with a shark in November 2002.

Adrenalin like I have never experienced. Too bad they can't put that in a pill, MMA fighters would be eating it up.

Getting back to the Lottery - understanding that 1 in 300 million is 1 in 300 million, I did find a nice Penthouse for $4 Million (which means they would probably take $3.5 million cash).

Just in case.

Has a HUGE grow area.

 

[Green Squall]

Hey Phatty, you have any idea what kind of shark? I know the odds, but the though of a shark attack freaks me out. Still can't believe someone died from a Great White bite this summer on Cape Cod
---------------
Bought 3 Mega Millions today. If I ever hit it big, I'd like to set up some kind of Trust to help people financially who are victims of the war on drugs

 

[St. Phatty]

Hey Phatty, you have any idea what kind of shark? I know the odds, but the though of a shark attack freaks me out. Still can't believe someone died from a Great White bite this summer on Cape Cod
---------------
Bought 3 Mega Millions today. If I ever hit it big, I'd like to set up some kind of Trust to help people financially who are victims of the war on drugs

Monday, November 19, 2002 - crab fisherman saw a VERY large great white eating a large seal about 1/4 mile East (offshore) La Jolla Cove. His boat was longer than 25 feet, but he was so scared he abandoned his traps for the day and got the hell out of there.

I found out about that about a year later, when there was an article in the paper about it.

Tuesday, November 20, 2002 - I went to La Jolla Shores to go for a normal swim, i.e. to La Jolla Cove.

I got the MOST SCARED feeling. I did not see a shark.

For me free diving is supposed to be relaxing. This was not relaxing. I was inexplicably terrified, as if I had seen a BIG shark.

I got tired of the stupid struggle that was going on in my mind. This feeling that I should get out of the water, and the thought, "well that's stupid".

If you go to the effort to put on a wetsuit, you almost never bail on a dive. You know you will be swimming through seaweed filled muck, that it will be cold, so you don't get out because of any of those things.

I got out because I didn't feel like wrestling with myself. I was comfortable that something was beyond my comprehension.

I wore my wetsuit and went to a computer store. There's a side benefit to wearing a wetsuit in public - you can pee as much as you want, almost wherever you want.

Thursday November 22, 2002 - HUGE waves for San Diego, buoys 11 feet at 20+ seconds. Went to Torrey Pines, got caught in a rip tide, spent an hour swimming to get out of it. It's not as simple as swimming parallel to shore. I started out swimming North parallel to shore, which meant I was standing still and using up my energy, which is how you drown. Then I stopped swimming and let the current carry me South, and slowly made my way towards shore.

Went swimming at Del Mar, then had Thanksgiving dinner at my brother's.

Friday November 23, 2002 - One of the guys at the Y went boogie boarding at Torrey Pines. He got scared too. I met him a year later and we started talking, and the story un-folded. Neither he nor I had ever aborted a dive or a boogie boarding session, but both of us did, that week.

It was a pretty famous swell for surfers & swimmers on the entire Pacific Coast. Many of us remembered the date and the swell, like it was a trip to Mecca or something.

Anyway, I can only guess what happened -
* Guardian Angel
* Taste of Blood in the Water
* Sixth Sense
* Maybe human beings can feel the fear of the seals and other animals.
* Maybe human beings can be warned telepathically by dolphins.

To answer Green Squall's question - I think that what I felt was the presence of a Large Great White.

I had been in the water with lots of smaller sharks, e.g. gray 10-footers. They weren't aggressive and I wasn't scared, just watching the big fish.

In April 2008, another swimmer was attacked by a large great white and died, at Fletcher's Cove in Solana Beach, 5 miles North of Torrey Pines, which is about 2 miles North of La Jolla Shores, & 3 miles North of La Jolla Cove (about 8 miles total from La Jolla Cove to Fletcher Cove.)

8 miles is nothing. It's very smart to respect the ability of sharks to eat you, or to send you to the hospital for a bill bigger than the shark - to be price-gouged by a Shark-with-2-legs, who scare me more than the fishy kind, most days.

After the April 2008 incident, I stayed much closer to shore.

 

[BadTicket]

Here in Finland, where lottery is organized by a state company that holds a monopoly on the damn shit, and where the prize money isn't as ridiculous as their US counterparts, the money is tax free. Or the would be taxes are paid by the state monopoly company to the state.. Cause that's smart and that's how they roll without thinking about stuff that much.

What's really stupid tho, and pisses me off a lot, is the fact that sometimes when they interview shitbags that win the jackpot, a few million Euro-dollars usually.. The money always seems to go to absolute n00bs with no dreams or no balls to enjoy money, ppl who say stuff like "ooh we don't plan to change much, keep our day jobs, maybe fix the roof and buy a new used car. Save the money for our kids college fund."

I boo these ppl, if they gave me a couple o million. I'd take the money and run! Move to somewhere nice and warm, surround myself with easy women and hard drugs. Live off the interest, mang.

OR, do like that guy Jonathan Vargas, who won a Powerball jackpot of $35 mil back in 2008, dubbed himself "JV Rich" and started his own all women wrestling promotion. Yea it was bad, and yea he spent it all on non-sense and is broke these days from what I hear. But damn it Jim, the guy had a dream of his own all women's wrestling company, and it had to have been fun while it lasted. At the very least makes for a better story than some fixing the roof lameness.

 

[beefalo bill]

If an individual filled out and purchased one unique ticket per second, non-stop, it would take greater than 9.5 years to amass one of each possible combination. This is why there's no "sure way" to win such a jackpot, even if you already have hundreds of millions of dollars to invest.

 

[CaptainDankness]

After the April 2008 incident, I stayed much closer to shore.

Majority of shark attacks happen in just 3 feet of water.

Great fun fact I like to bring up every time we go to the beach. Lol

I did spend $20 on megamillions last drawing probably going to do about the same this drawing. Sure the odds are pretty bad, but someone has to win it.

 

[St. Phatty]

Majority of shark attacks happen in just 3 feet of water.

Those aren't killshots.

Partially because that's within 50 yards of the shore.

I enjoy reading about shark attacks.

I read one interesting statistic about Hawaii vs. California shark attacks.

The one year, I forget which one, there were about 4 serious attacks in both California and Hawaii.

The Hawaii attacks were fatal.

The California attacks, the swimmers/surfers made it - because they were wearing wetsuits.

The wetsuit provides flotation - and it keeps the organs in place.

Moral of the Story - if you go to Hawaii, be a wierdo and wear a wetsuit.

 

[Green Squall]

I'm intrigued about shark attacks as well. Do you think the Hawaii attacks were fatal because it was most likely a Tiger Shark rather than a Great White?