$350 MILLION: Powerball lottery jackpot soars

Comment #77

Jill34786 — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:06:57 GMT

Sadly a large number of the population will feel entitled to a portion of the grand prize. Their main reason is that the winner(s) got lucky and didn't earn it. Many horrible events have stricken past lottery winners but unfortunately that is the world we all live in.

Comment #76

Teddi — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:34:52 GMT

Oh darn, that seems so unfair and needlessly aggravating if the contest is played in those states. I wonder why they do it like that. Has to be a reason, but I am not seeing it. They're still going to get their taxes regardless.

Anyway, thanks for answering. I appreciate it.

Comment #75

Teddi — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:20:58 GMT

No. I meant $350 - $500 JP, not the payout. I'm aware that after the total 39.6% federal tax and 5, 6, 7% state tax, $350 would really be $120 or so, give or take. Even on a billion dollar JP, you'd only end up (*laughs* ONLY) end up with maybe $350 after the cash payout and taxes. But Joe Schmoe won't look at you as a multimillionaire. He'd look at you as a billionaire, and that change from an m to a b will make people do crazy things.

Do you know how many comments I've read on news article... [ More ]

Comment #74

Teddi — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:58:04 GMT

LMAO. PlayToWin47, you're my new best friend. Thanks for the positive vibes.

I really do have some people that in my life right now that it is physically hurting me not to be able to help. My grandfather lost everything he spent 40 years building to a conman, right when he was about to retire and pass the business to his sons.

And all the people he helped through the years, with college tuitions, car payments, downpayments on their homes, those leeches all disappeared overnight. His sons... [ More ]

Comment #73

Jill34786 — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:38:13 GMT

Actually if you want to end up with a net payout of $350M you most likely need to hit a billion dollar jackpot. A $350 million jackpot will net you roughly $130 million after all tax obligations are finalized. The 25% Federal tax initially withheld is just the beginning...you will owe PLENTY more by April, 2014

Comment #72

Piaceri — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:23:54 GMT

Texas has Limited Publicity as an option. I believe that at least means no interview, no picture and/or no last name, and possibly blind trust claimants. But I don't know for sure. I'd have the lawyers figure that one out. Being single and living alone (except for critters and my Glock) I'd be okay with just first name and home town, no picture, no interview.

Comment #71

ShowMeTheMoney$ — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:04:59 GMT

When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I'm old I know that it is.

Oscar Wilde

Comment #70

PlayToWin47 — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:51:52 GMT

Unfortunately, no. I did some research on this, including writing a couple of letters.

It seemed to me also, that if the games are multi-state, you should be able to buy your ticket anywhere, then cash it in anywhere. Nope. Apparently, the states have different computer systems that do not talk to each other. You have to claim in the same state that you bought the ticket in.

Comment #69

savagegoose — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:48:55 GMT

I am already aware of what freindships im likely to lose. Im sure there will be a few suprises. And I already know who i will be buying cars for. apart from budgetting i dont see much to do oh and shopping.

Comment #68

PlayToWin47 — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:46:29 GMT

It sounds like you have a lot of awesome unselfish plans for when you win!!! I hope you win a 100M or more soon

Comment #67

helpmewin — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:45:15 GMT

AZ should buy more tickets

Comment #66

helpmewin — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:43:33 GMT

Comment #65

ShowMeTheMoney$ — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:41:32 GMT

Be careful for what you wish for. You might just get it. This is so true about winning the lottery. There will be some bad things that will happen and some awesome things too. You should expect some media attention, and people wanting money from you. You might need to move, change your phone number, and be more guarded. You might lose some friendships. But, I am an optimist and believe winning the lottery really is a dream come true. You can be happy

Comment #64

Nikkicute — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:26:42 GMT

ohhh brother!!!

No one forgot about Mega Miliions!

Why is it that when one game jackpot rises, you think players suddenly forget about the other big game?

Mega Millions was the first game to grow the highest jackpot and it was posted at that time

everyone forgot about PowerBall.

No one forgets, players always have one eye on either game, the highest jackpot gets the most

attention.

Comment #63

Ronnie316 — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:03:01 GMT

All I know is CA needs to buy more tickets if they want to win.

Comment #62

sandia — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:53:10 GMT

Claiming in a trust is the best idea. Here in Texas, we can't claim anonymously, sad. I know how much us LP players enjoy playing the lottery. In this day and age where you hear astonishing things happening in the news, all you want to do is HIDE from any nosy reporters. We don't need our loved ones put in danger and we would likely prefer not to end up being targets to undesirable individuals.

Comment #61

whiteballz — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:52:58 GMT

Not all states require a winner to attend the media event. Just say no to the media event or if you have to attend the event, wear a wig, sunglasses and grow a thick beard or come up with your own disguise. Technically you attended the event. Then have your lawyer do all the talking.

If you have a common enough surname, you can always tell people who meet you and ask if you are the Teddi Smith who won, no, I'm not the Teddi Smith you saw in the news, that's some other Teddi Smith but not me... [ More ]

Comment #60

Masone — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:47:34 GMT

I would claim it in a trust, and if they require me to do a press conference then I'm showing up with a disguise on.

You can also change your name before you claim the ticket. I believe name changes are public record but who in the hell is going to go through that much trouble to expose your true name in the press? Well I guess I shouldn't ask that considering I remember reading an article on here from a writer that stalked a lotto winner to a dating website.

But those are the things... [ More ]

Comment #59

Teddi — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:19:19 GMT

snip . In that case, no. I wouldn't want to win a billion dollars. $350-$550M will work just fine

There'd be a $1 Billion Dead Man Walking sign on my back if I did. It would probably freak me out. Family members would be nothing but ransom money to some greedy desperate person.

This post has been automatically changed by the Lottery Post computer system to remove inappropriate content and/or spam.

Comment #58

Toronto — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:56:07 GMT

No you have to claim a ticket in the state in which it is bought

Comment #57

CLETU$ — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:55:45 GMT

My ticket says Iowa Powerball on it.I assume that I must make my claim in Iowa,not Missouri or Illinois or any other state.

Comment #56

Teddi — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:37:36 GMT

I actually thought about that the other day. If the $587M PB hadn't been claimed. I'm fairly certain it would have gotten there in the next 2-3 rollovers. People had been going crazy with ticket purchases.

Unfortunately, I also realized that person(s) would have had the biggest target on them safety wise. Unless the states made an exception, not being anonymous to claim it would have been begging for trouble. Winners have been shot, poisoned, threatened with kidnapping for jackpots much much... [ More ]

Comment #55

CLETU$ — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:33:26 GMT

The bigger the jackpot the better 'cause I'm a greedy s.o.b I'm not afraid to admit it

Comment #54

Teddi — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:25:19 GMT

Well hats off to you. I applaud your stance. Nothing more irritating to me than the people who win the huge jackpots who then turnaround and complain about it endlessly, keep their jobs and never enjoy it. I always wonder why those people bother to play. It's one of the great mysteries of life. A riddle for the sphinx. If you only want enough to take care of your bills, more pwer to you. PB and MM would be a waste.

But for the rest of us who do play in the hopes of hitting it big, maybe we ha... [ More ]

Comment #53

PlayToWin47 — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:33:39 GMT

I agree with you about the 10 million. Because of PB's and MM's ridiculously high odds to win the ridiculously high jackpots, I don't even play those games. I know I won't win one of those huge jackpots ... and don't need or want that much.

It is obvious, however, that there are a heck-of-a-lot people that think they need that much ... enough people playing those games to finance their huge jackpots

Comment #52

weshar75 — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:31:59 GMT

I plan on playing the day of the drawing since I get paid that day so I hope that their is not a big line at circle k when I go in. Good luck to all who play this big one.-weshar75

Comment #51

Teddi — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:23:07 GMT

I would say yes. If you're on a limited budget, which one are you more likely to play? It's $350M vs $170M. If the PB pays out this Wednesday, there will be big jumps in the MM after that

Comment #50

Teddi — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:20:07 GMT

Yes. Usually when it's over $250M more people start playing, and the ones who usually play, buy more tickets. So then there are bigger leaps in the dollar value.

Comment #49

whiteballz — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:16:31 GMT

$10 million is a lot of money but would you buy a $2 ticket for a 10 million dollar jackpot if the odds were 1 in 176 million? I know I sure wouldn't.

Comment #48

faber98 — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:58:31 GMT

no need for a billion dollar jackpot (wouldn't 10 million be enough for anyone?) why can no one win before it reaches a billion? do previous jackpot winners have the best chance because they can buy more tickets? would a previous winner actually want to win again or think they could? same chance for anyone, anywhere, and whenever they purchase the ticket.

Comment #47

ressuccess — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:13:21 GMT

I hope the Powerball jackpot continues to roll to a new United States record.

Comment #46

Ronnie316 — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:13:31 GMT

I think the day of the draw is a good time to get lucky.

Comment #45

CLETU$ — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:43:11 GMT

It doesn't matter when you buy the tickets.If you're gonna be lucky,you're gonna be lucky.If you ain't gonna be lucky,you ain't gonna be lucky.

Comment #44

whiteballz — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:03:06 GMT

Some people say they like to get QPs at the night of the draw because they get better results. Personally, I have bought tickets minutes before the cut off time and my results weren't any better than tickets I bought days before the draw.

When the jackpot gets over $200 million, I like to get my tickets days in advance of the drawing just to avoid long lines at the store.

Comment #43

rock_nc — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:02:41 GMT

Which is better? More or Less! Getting PB/MM tickets a few days early before the drawing, or buying them the day of the drawing, Or Does it really matter. Just would like to know what all of y'all like to do! Good Luck to All of you

Comment #42

peppy007 — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:57:55 GMT

I would say at least similar to the mm last year of nearly 300 mil. But I have a feeling many people are also playing mm at 170 MIL and not spending as much as they would have if the only large jackpot had been pb. I dont know if I be happy spending more on pb than mm in california. This last drawing paid everyone in cali much less than the rest of the country.

Comment #41

rdgrnr — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:59:29 GMT

That'll buy a lotta Limburger

Comment #40

dognabit — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:08:24 GMT

About $150 million after taxes in Wisconsin if I were to be a sole winner.

Somehow, someway I'd manage to survive on that.

Comment #39

jjtheprince — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:44:57 GMT

I think they do have a bit of an edge. If they've won before, it's easy for them to win. I pretty much guarantee that someday in the near future we will see a big 2X MM or PB winner. The odds would be uhh I dunno, 1 in 500 trillion for that to happen. Maybe the Hispanic guy from Jersey will buy tickets win again. lol

Comment #38

ryanm — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:43:48 GMT

I think players forgot about Mega Millions, when it failed to break $100 million annuity for over seven months.

Comment #37

RJOh — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:34:49 GMT

Are you suggesting previous winners know something that gives them an edge? Or that only they can afford the number of tickets needed to win?

Only one combinations will win it when it's won regardless of the number of tickets sold, that should give everyone who buys a ticket an equal chance.

Comment #36

golfer1960 — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:32:22 GMT

You my girl Jill!!!

You always speak the truth...

Comment #35

RJOh — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:09:57 GMT

Appearantly, you found the information you were seeking.

Comment #34

jjtheprince — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:30:55 GMT

Are you all ready to see a billion dollar jackpot soon? It will happen, no one can win. Previous jackpot winners need to go all in on this since they have the best chances of winning.

Comment #33

Prob988 — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:38:10 GMT

Since you guys showed up, faster than ever.

Actually, Megamillions is a better bet, with its current expectation value being around 0.85. Powerball is merely 0.69, this because its price is double.

This simple mathematical fact will make no difference though. The lottery makes money by assuming the irrationality of its players, and for them, this is a very good bet.

Comment #32

BuyLow — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:19:48 GMT

Interesting observation. I knew it was growing SLOW, but didn't figure out how slow. Wonder why? Maybe because Powerball is pretty high and is stealing MM thunder

Comment #31

dpoly1 — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:37:35 GMT

Oh My Goodness ................. I do believe that about $135,000,000 after taxes (in PA) would be a very nice prize

Comment #30

Masone — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:15:40 GMT

Ah ok, he didn't word it correctly. I understand now. Last time it was nearly this high it jumped quite a bit. Will be interesting to see the jump if there is no winner on Wednesday now that California is in the mix. I recall the MM jumping nearly 300 million when it was this large last year. With the $2 ticket and now with California in the mix, how big do you think the jump will be

Comment #29

peppy007 — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:18:56 GMT

This is the highest its been without anyone win it. Of course if domeone wins wednesday then $325 million will once again be highest pb jackpot without a winner.

Comment #28

Masone — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:01:14 GMT

Funny, according to that site this is not the first time it's been this high since the price change.

Comment #27

RJOh — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:45:37 GMT

Fortunately being new to the scene doesn't limit you to just the data available since California joined, a complete history of PB is available at USAMega however the number of tickets sold for $2 at this level is new to everyone since this is the first time the jackpot has been this high since the price change.

Comment #26

ineed2win$ — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:31:20 GMT

Seem a lil strange !! O well cant beat them !!! play them

Comment #25

ineed2win$ — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:25:27 GMT

either 1

Comment #24

noise-gate — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:23:32 GMT

Not really, the cash amount is different win$. Which prize would you go for at present

Comment #23

ineed2win$ — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:18:21 GMT

I think they should B running neck 2 neck

Comment #22

noise-gate — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:18:02 GMT

Yes its California , who else could be blamed for this meteoric rise- Idaho? l don't think so.California joined the PB a month ago- and looky here.California is not called the Golden State for nothing.Its where the Money is.

Hollywood-Disneyland,Magic Mt, Yosemite,Seaworld,Golden Gate- you name it, it all spells M O N E Y. Why should the PB be any different

Comment #21

Jill34786 — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:01:50 GMT

PB is on rollover #12 and the jackpot sits at $350 million. The MM in currently on rollover #18 and it's prize is $170 million. The record MM jackpot of $656 million was reached on it's 19th draw.

Comment #20

ineed2win$ — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:00:27 GMT

should nt mega million B up 2. they we'er the same about a month ago an PB left MM behind

Comment #19

whiteballz — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:30:12 GMT

here is a chart of the PB jackpot since February.

Comment #18

easygoing123go — Sun, 12 May 2013 18:01:47 GMT

Got my tickets, all $24.00 worth, I think will go higher like $380 before Wednesday, if it rolls over $576 is in reach..

Good Luck to all

Comment #17

helpmewin — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:54:36 GMT

$350 MILLION 7th-largest US jackpot ever; 6th-largest cash value

Good Luck everyone

Comment #16

helpmewin — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:53:20 GMT

Comment #15

Masone — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:21:46 GMT

Since I live in California I am relatively new to the PB scene. Does the jackpot usually jump this much when it gets this high, or did us Cali players contribute to a bigger jump

Comment #14

rock_nc — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:39:42 GMT

Looks like I'm going to have to dig out some good numbers from my little box of numbers! Can only afford 10 bucks worth! It only takes 6 numbers to win, just hope one of them are mine.

Comment #13

delS — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:23:38 GMT

Its exciting to see both Mega Millions and Powerball are doing well. You cant win if you dont play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lets go Maryland.

Comment #12

ShowMeTheMoney$ — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:14:19 GMT

$350 million would be an awesome nest egg! Imagine all the dreams you could make come true with that. I would do some traveling and buy a dream house (not a Barbie one), although, Malibu would be a nice place to live. Part of me wants the Powerball jackpot to roll again to half a billion though. I'm going to buy some of my tickets on Wednesday. I sometimes feel luckier buying on the day of the draw.

Good luck to everyone

Comment #11

tymack — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:44:59 GMT

Roll baby roll will be buying tickets today

Comment #10

Ronnie316 — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:38:35 GMT

Let the good times roll.

Comment #9

maringoman — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:22:32 GMT

I add the powerplay feature about 80% of the time. I shall be doing that this time too. One line only. Its all I need. Goodluck people

Comment #8

CLETU$ — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:15:07 GMT

I bought my ticket on Friday,along with my ticket for last nights jackpot and Friday's and Tuesday's MegaMillions tickets.All you need is one ticket to win it all

Comment #7

LottoGuyBC — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:03:38 GMT

$350M

Comment #6

sully16 — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:42:17 GMT

Getting exciting, good luck everyone.

Comment #5

whiteballz — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:15:16 GMT

time to buy some more tickets.

Comment #4

hearsetrax — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:06:39 GMT

Comment #3

dallascowboyfan — Sun, 12 May 2013 13:01:45 GMT

$359 million Woo Hoo

Comment #2

savagegoose — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:40:04 GMT

i have an affinity for the number 222, i better win this one.

Comment #1

Piaceri — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:18:40 GMT

WHAAAAA HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

I bet they bump it before Wednesday.

$350 MILLION: Powerball lottery jackpot soars

Lottery Post — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:15:37 GMT

7th-largest US jackpot ever; 6th-largest cash value

By Todd Northrop

For only the 7th time in the history of United States lotteries, a lottery jackpot has grown to $350 million or more.

The new high-water mark of $350 million for the current Powerball jackpot was achieved after no winning tickets were sold for Saturday night's $270 million grand prize.

The lump-sum cash payout value of Wednesday's Powerball jackpot is $222.8 million. After-tax cash and annuity prize amounts are repo... [ More ]