Is a 400 million jackpot possible?

Reply #22

BaristaExpress — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 02:11:58 GMT

ryanm, if that was the case, I think both games would be in one heaping bunch of trouble! I wouldn't think it could be called a lottery then with such high odds stacked against all of us who play the lottery! Look with such high odds it could happen or it couldn't, no one really knows what could happen with this new matrix and I would have hoped they would have taken that into consideration when they changed it!They would not have been able to change the matrix the way they did without the appro... [ More ]

Reply #21

ryanm — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 21:53:39 GMT

What!? You mean neither Powerball OR Mega Millions can ever go past $500 million

Reply #20

Chewie — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:09:18 GMT

To be completely honest. I hope it hits tomorrow. I am tired of buy Powerball tickets. I need a break. If I win, cool. If not, I have wasted too much money chasing the lure around the lake. I don't want to waste any more.

Reply #19

Chewie — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:06:00 GMT

I've never seen it, or bothered to spend time researching it, but I have heard there is some federal law limiting it to $500M; annuity being the best they can list. That being the case, you can't fudge $500M. 500 is five hundred, no matter how you spell it. Of course I am not fluent in Chinese, so I may be wrong on 500 being 500.

Reply #18

dvdiva — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:48:08 GMT

There really is no annuity limit since they can just inflate it like PB but realistically I doubt any lottery would ever break the 150 million in cash after tax amount. At least not in the USA.

Reply #17

Chewie — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:08:23 GMT

Remember, no matter how many times it rolls, the annuity limit is $500M. That means you'll never have enough to interfer with the lifestyle of the super-rich and famous. Martha may ask you for a subsription, but will never invite you to dinner. Buy a house in their world, and you will be broke again.

Reply #16

weshar75 — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:58:09 GMT

I do not see the powerball jackpot rolling three more times this run I would be shocked if it did. I don't think it is going to roll to even $365 million because the jackpot will be hit on wednesday.

Reply #15

bellyache — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:44:32 GMT

I don't think it will make it to 400 million since the media is hyping this jackpot as the BIGGEST. JACKPOT. EVER. And tons of people will be out buying tickets. Heh.

Reply #14

dvdiva — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:20:16 GMT

I'm sure Powerball has it's own reasons to harp on why an annuity is such a great deal (especially the back loaded POS one they offer). If people looked at the cash amount they would get post tax it would dampen sales. It's also about control. I don't want to wait around for my check like a welfare recipient, I want control over the money from day one independent of what MUSL wants.

Reply #13

ryanm — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:32:55 GMT

Um, I wouldn't be so sure of beating the annuity, at least not without making risky investments. Taken from Powerball FAQ:CASH VS. ANNUITY - MY FINANCIAL EXPERTS SAYS HE CAN EARN MORE THAN THE ANNUITY WITH THIS CASH.We have seen that even financial experts forget about taxes. From the example above, if the winner takes the cash, then the winner will have to pay state and federal taxes on the cash amount. The amount of income tax will vary, but it will likely be somewhere close to half the cash... [ More ]

Reply #12

luckylottolady — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 09:38:22 GMT

i guess anything is possible.. i would love to see it get over 400 million. just to see what would happen it gets that hight.. it could get higher than the advertised jackpost-with alot of people buying tickets...

Reply #11

WakeUpDifferen — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 04:45:12 GMT

Hey ScubaSki,The difference in percentages are mainly due to the different terms of length of the Annuity that is bought with the cash pool. Megamillions has a 26 year annuity payout, while powerball has a 30 year annuity payout. So they can advertise powerball at a higher number (though lower percentage) then they would be able to a MM jackpot because the initial prize money has another four years to earn interest in the annuity. The lottery association does not actually have the 340 millio... [ More ]

Reply #10

ryanm — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 03:34:54 GMT

Oh man, imagine how much money would be in the match 5 bonus pool if it rolled until November 12

Reply #9

hypersoniq — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 03:24:23 GMT

p-ball jackpot odds are 1 in 146,107,962.00mm jackpot odds are 1 in 175,711,536.00I think you are right about MM's chances of 400+M overall... in the short term, pb has a 250M lead

Reply #8

dvdiva — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 03:07:39 GMT

I would hope it would be hit by then. I doubt it will last past Saturday at the latest. It's far more likely that Mega Millions would pass 400 plus it would have a far greater cash prize. It also would hurt where I play since WA has no state income tax and OR has a 9% income tax if I win PB.

Reply #7

hypersoniq — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 02:39:31 GMT

10/29/2005... IF the next 3 draws roll over, that saturday jackpot will be a cool $415,000,000 (using the CAP rules)11/12/2005 (my son's 9th birthday)... if it rolls till then, it breaks a half a billion

Reply #6

Todd — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 14:07:34 GMT

Go to USA Mega and click on Powerball Jackpot Analysis. All the info is right there. Same thing for Mega Millions.

Reply #5

Chewie — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 13:21:45 GMT

When the sheep line up to give you money every day, you can make up any rule you want. The lottery is not a democracy, it is a business. Their goal is make every penny they can out of every dollar spent by the better. If they could lower the ratio, and increase the bottom line, they would - and, some day, they probably will. If they don't make the profit they want, they'll change the rulls again, and again, and again. Think of them as car dealers, with a better gimmic.

Reply #4

hsvscubaski — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 12:38:19 GMT

Can any one tell me why the MM Annuity vs cash is 90/53 = little less than 60% and PB is 340/164.4 which is less than 50%.

Reply #3

shalini — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 09:55:49 GMT

let her roll..................

Reply #2

whodeani — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:57:57 GMT

Well to get a $400 million jackpot, Powerball would have to rollover three more times with a new record jackpot now set. The jackpot will now only go up $25 million after each rollover. It may be possible to hit $400 million but I think the odds would be against it. But then again, with the way gas prices are people may not buy tickets like they did a few years back and now with more combinations to cover, you could have a significant number of combinations not being covered. Who knows

Reply #1

Down — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:51:09 GMT

i think $400 millions is possible but too many states have powerball so it will get hit on the next draw

Is a 400 million jackpot possible?

HEYPHILLIP — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:43:08 GMT

Man that would be incredable if that happens. 400 million i wonder what the payout would be. i expect this coming week to hear record lines in all powerball states even at a 340 million jackpot. i live in NJ and i get my tickets from PA which is just accross the bridge on Saturday 15th i saw a lot of people then normal buying tickets. this coming week is going to be crazy.