Powerball jackpot boosted again to $550M (could be increased again as the drawing nears)

[Atypical Liberal]

7. Word of advice to anyone reading...

I actually changed a friend's behavior by telling them this, as they never thought about it.

If you are going to buy a lottery ticket, buy only one ticket.

It seems counter-intuitive to some. It feels like, "Hey, if I buy ten tickets, or twenty, then I am ten or twenty times more likely to win!!!"

Yes, this is true. So instead of 1-in-75,000,000 odds of winning, your odds are now 10-in-75,000,000 or 20-in-75,000,000.

They are still infinitesimal.

But to you, and your personal finances, there is probably a huge, huge difference between spending one dollar and spending ten, or twenty dollars.

So if you want to blow a buck, hey, why not? It's the same price as a drink in a restaurant. It helps fund scholarships. Chip in your buck.

But don't go buying dozens of tickets thinking it is helping you. It isn't.