207 Million over.

Reply #28

KY Floyd — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:17:28 GMT

But if only 9 people win and they print a million tickets, that meansthat 999,991 people will not win the grand prize. That's less than99.9%.

And there you have it. It isn't how many people lose, it's the likelihood of winning or losing that matters. If there were a worldwide lottery where everybody had 1 ticket, you could have 3 billion losers, but everybody would have a 50% chance of being one of the winners. What matters more? A 50% chance of winning, or having 3 billion losers? It's the... [ More ]

Reply #27

Stew12 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:14:40 GMT

I wasn't saying purchasing all posible combinations is a smart way to guarantee a win, but from a mathematical standpoint it would guarantee you a win. However you would still lose money due to taxes (unless the cash option was over $400 million), and the risk of splitting the jackpot would still be there. Nevermind the hastle of purchasing and double-checking that many pieces of paper ;)

The odds are different for a game such as the FL raffle since they are picking 9 winners out of 1,000,000... [ More ]

Reply #26

justxploring — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:24:18 GMT

We've had this debate for years discussing the odds vs the possibilities. Since the PB MM games have such astronomical odds, I'll use the example I gave when discussing the FL raffle game. There will be 9 million dollar winners out of one million tickets sold. They give the odds as 1:111,111. Sounds great, right? But if only 9 people win and they print a million tickets, that means that 999,991 people will not win the grand prize. That's less than 99.9%. If someone told me I had a 99% chance of... [ More ]

Reply #25

Stew12 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:58:59 GMT

If you spent $20 on the 1:175,711,536 game your odds are 1:175,711,516 unfortunately.

I agree with those that say this is wrong. If you buy 1 combination, you will have a 1 in 175,711,516 chance of winning. If you buy 175,711,516 combinations, would you still have a 1:175,711,516 chance of winning? No, you would be guaranteed a win since you own all possible combinations, making your chances 175,711,516:175,711,516. If you own HALF of the combinations, you will have a 1:2 chance of winning, b... [ More ]

Reply #24

justxploring — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:56:16 GMT

i'm a little discouraged after someone else won

If you are discouraged after playing for a short time, think of how you'll feel in 10 years!

How do you think the jackpot got to $207 million? Aggie, you can bet $100 a week for the rest of your life and odds are you'll never win. On the other hand, you might bet $1 on a Quick Pick and win a large jackpot if the lottery fairy sprinkles her magic dust on you.

Coin Toss - Great story

Reply #23

KY Floyd — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:32:17 GMT

It has been discussed before, and I dont understand why so many people have such a hard time with it. Math works exactly the same way in statistics as it does for anything else, but we're dealing with probability, not statistics. Your odds of winning are based on the ratio of the number of ways to win vs. the total number of possible outcomes, not the number of ways to lose. That ratio is a fraction, and even though the numbers may be bigger, that's 3rd grade math.

If you buy 20 tickets for M... [ More ]

Reply #22

jackpotismine — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:57:43 GMT

You are sooooooooooooo right!!! The real money is on the Pick 3. It's very doable. Those big jackpots are a sucker's bet. Play one line, at least you're in it.

Reply #21

unseen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:44:49 GMT

I quit getting my hopes up on the big games and only play as a part of a pool at work. I hit 458 the other night on KY pick 3 and won $300. This year alone I've made over $900 on pick 3, $2 on Powerball.

Reply #20

RJOh — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:41:09 GMT

I've read some of those discussions. According to them if the odds of winning were 1:25 and I bought 20 chances, my odds of winning would improve to 1:5 since I bought 20 of the 25 chances and not to 20:25 or 4:5 the way I figure.

You probably heard that old saying Figures don't lie but......

Reply #19

barbos — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:51:03 GMT

RJOh it was already discussed somewhere on LP that in a world of statistics math is a bit different.

If you spent $20 on the 1:175,711,536 game your odds are 1:175,711,516 unfortunately.

Reply #18

myturn08 — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:22:51 GMT

i can settle for 25mil any day!!!

pick me pick me, haha

Reply #17

RJOh — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:49:10 GMT

If you're willing to settle for $25 MIL, you may get another chance before Christmas.

Reply #16

neetsie — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:03:15 GMT

well i have been playing for years and when you hit its a rush and i hit in 10yrs 3times on 3numbers 4numbers the lotter powerplay never won still going for it so join the fun of getting close or try putting numberin prediction and not playing with money just to see if you come near i hit 4 times in a few months so its a game of chance.

Reply #15

RJOh — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:54:34 GMT

That's a privilege everyone has when choosing how to spend their money, they don't have to restrict themselves to odds of 1:175,711,536 with one MM ticket. I spent $20 which is less than some folks spend on cigarettes and beer and it reduces my odds to 1:8,785,577 which means I have a 50% chance of winning something when I play. So far the best I've done is a 3+1 for $150 once. Most times I win back $0-$10.

Reply #14

ambelamba — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:35:15 GMT

You have to realize that a few millions of dollars can make HUGE differences. You don't need to win 207millions at all. It will drag you into unwanted attentions and whatnot. The smaller the winning the easier to remain unseen. And you will surely love the anonymity.

I'd be happy to win more than a few million dollars because I want to help my family. Whenever the jackpot amount for SLP goes near 40millions I start buying the tickets. 17~18millions is pretty darn good you know. If you buy so... [ More ]

Reply #13

myzeus — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:05:22 GMT

I really needed that 207 MIL and I am around 130 miles away from Piqua, Ohio. I did win $6 with midday Ten-Oh today and took that $6 and rolled it back into evening Ten-Oh, I will see if I win more. I did make $12 off of Mega Millions though. I'll keep trying and someday I will win.

Reply #12

Lotto*Love — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:16:15 GMT

WO! $40 a play? LOL I bet I spend $40 in a 2 month span lol. I can't afford to spend a lot. I bought $10 worth for this $207 jackpot and walked away with $3.

I understand your frustration. I too have it. I'm trying to change my ways because it just makes me bitter and feel sick all the time. It's hard to do sometimes.

I try to think of it this way...when everyone buys their tickets..a large majority say why in the he!! do I even bother buying these, I never win anything. Another percentag... [ More ]

Reply #11

Coin Toss — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 23:05:21 GMT

aggiefury101, everyone,

A man woke up at midnight a.m. one morning doubled over in pain.

He drove himself to the emergency room, and the doctor told him that he was born with three testicles and the third one had just descended. The doctor said it was a simple operation, but the guy said, Operation? Doc, I'm a player and have been waiting for something like this all my life.

Since the bars were still open, he went into one, and there was only the bartender and one customer, but the guy... [ More ]

Reply #10

aggiefury101 — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:55:48 GMT

I kinda forgot it is just a game. I was spending 40 bucks a play, but I can afford it trust me. I'll keep playing, but I think everyone has that feeling sometime.

Reply #9

diamondpalace — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:34:23 GMT

Only spent $5 on it

Reply #8

tnlottodreamer — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:24:17 GMT

Hey scarychick, Why dont you ever get on live chat on Sunday nights from 7-9 would love to chat with you. Cya Sunday.

Reply #7

tnlottodreamer — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:22:14 GMT

Im dissapointed alot then, I buy all the time but win less than 00000001% of the time, But its fun and you never know. Dont give up so soon.Your day is coming

Reply #6

ThatScaryChick — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:25:02 GMT

Most people who buy tickets, buy them because they want to win.

Reply #5

MaddMike51 — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:11:11 GMT

You buy your tickets and take your chances.Disapointment is part of the game.So is playing responsibly.I hope you didn't lose to much money.

Reply #4

CowboysFan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:27:01 GMT

You have to be more optimistic. I'm just moving on and hoping that my luck changes so I can win the Super Lotto Plus in the next couple of weeks.

Reply #3

hearsetrax — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:53:19 GMT

someone in OHIO owes me a refund

Reply #2

RJOh — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:00:08 GMT

I think everyone who bought tickets were trying to win just as hard as you.

Reply #1

Guru101 — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:11:37 GMT

Discouraged someone else won? You're right. The lottery is not for you. LOL.

207 Million over.

aggiefury101 — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:59:04 GMT

Hi all, I'm new to playing the lottery and was trying hard for that 207 million. I have to admit after playing good money on tickets i'm a little discouraged after someone else won.