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

I bet they bump it before Wednesday. 

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

$359 million Woo Hoo

time to buy some more tickets.

Getting exciting, good luck everyone.

$350M+

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!

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!

Let the good times roll.

Roll baby roll will be buying tickets today [

$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!

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

Lets go Maryland.

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.

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?

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

Good Luck everyone

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here is a chart of the PB jackpot since February.

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

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.

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?

I think they should B running neck 2 neck

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

either 1

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

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.

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

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.

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?

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

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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>>??

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.

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.

Appearantly, you found the information you were seeking.

You my girl Jill!!!

You always speak the truth...

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.

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

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

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

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

That'll buy a lotta Limburger!

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

$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.

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.

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

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

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!!!

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 have a large, close knit family we would like to help out. Maybe we know someone in desperate need of expensive medical care. Friends who've lost their jobs and are down on their luck. Children with no money for college. A high school needing books, computers, science equipment. Maybe for those of us who have situations like these in our lives, a 100M jackpot would work out better than a $10M. Dreaming big isn't always about greed or selfishness. Don't scoff or deride others without knowing what they want it for.

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

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 less than that. I really believe a billion dollar winner would have to keep 24/hr bodyguard protection from the moment the ticket is claimed until the day they died. Family and close friends would have been at risk as well for kidnapping and extortion attempts. 

Which brings me to my question. If you ever won a jackpot large enough to be detrimental to your life, can you (after wining) move to a state that allows for anonymous claimants and claim your winnings there? I know that it's set up that no matter where you move to you still have to pay taxes in the state you lived in at the time of the ticket purchase. But can someone establish residency in a state for claiming purposes only? Or must you claim it in the state you won?

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.

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

<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. 

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 you can do to remain anonymous. Trust/Name change/Disguise.

With that said, there are people with much more money and much more publicity, and they seem to remain safe. Move into a safe and well guarded neighborhood, and just don't put yourself into stupid situations.

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"

Personally, I'm not too worried, I'd sign up to win a jackpot in a heartbeat.

 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.

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

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.

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!!!     

AZ should buy more tickets

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

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.

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.

"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

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.

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

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 said they won't help him because he was stupid enough to get scammed and now they have nothing that they had counted on getting from him. They forget he bought them their houses. Now he's suffered a stroke, and my mother and one of her sisters are paying for his care and medical bills. I want to buy back his house and get a full time nurse there so he can live his remaining days in comfort and in the home he loved so much.

Plus my godmother's cancer is back. I would love for her not to worry about the bills on top of chemo. 2 friends lost their jobs and have been struggling to stay afloat. Stuff like that.

I'm no saint, I want to get the big house, the car(s) the shopping trips to Saks. I want to travel to watch Usain Bolt run live and in the flesh. But I want those close to me to be ok and not have money issues be burden on them any more.

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 articles about Oprah or Bill Gates where people actually eschew virulent hatred that any one person can be a billionaire? I've actually seen this phrase over and over "it's a sin to be that rich" or "no one needs that much money" and those are the tame comments. No matter how much money these people give away, it's never enough for them. Why is Oprah helping those girls in Africa? there are poor people here. Why is Gates donating so much to science, doesn't he know people have no homes? Who cares about the rainforest when children are hungry?

Now worse, you've gotten that money from dumb luck, at least Gates earned his wealth and they hate you for being the one to win it instead of them. Why was it you and not them? I believe that way of thinking + that amount of money will cause unhinged and jealous people to try something crazy. Lottery winners have been murdered before, and recently, for a whole lot less than that.

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.

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.