What would you do with...

[Will E Worm]

Odds Improve in $550 Million Powerball Lottery

What would you do with $550 million?

The Powerball lottery prize is halfway to $1 billion, the second-highest total ever. As the prize increases, so do the ticket-buyers, making it all the more likely Wednesday's drawing will make someone, or several people, millions of dollars richer.

The past 16 times Powerball numbers have been drawn, there has been no winner. The result is Wednesday's $550 million jackpot, which trails only the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March for the largest purse in history.

As with that prize, the huge number led to more and more ticket purchases. Since Saturday, an estimated $214 million worth of tickets have been purchased, according to the Associated Press. The demand for tickets also increases the likelihood that several people will hit the right numbers, as was the case in March, when the winnings were split three ways.

Still, the odds of winning are astronomical: about 175 million-to-1, according to Powerball. And even if you do win, you won't bring home all $550 million. The federal government takes a quarter of the jackpot in taxes, most states take a small share, and some cities even take a slice. That puts the actual cash value of the winnings around $360 million.

That's still enough to buy a small market professional baseball team, a 400-foot yacht, or fund one of the most expensive films ever made.

The huge jackpot and ticket sales have also pushed up the prize for second place. Players who match five numbers (instead of the six matches required for the jackpot) will win $1 million. The odds of doing that are significantly better, about 5 million-to-1. Last year, 500 people won the second place prizes. The odds drop because the first five numbers are all traditional white balls — of which there are many combinations. But there are only 35 red "powerballs," which are required to win the jackpot.

The drawing will take place Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. EST. The drawing is nationally televised, and Powerball provides a list of channels here. You can buy a ticket up to one or two hours before the draw, depending where you purchase a ticket.

Update: This article initially misidentified the jackpot as being $500 million.

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What would you do with the money if you won?


arty:

 

[ban-one]

Look into buying a country like the bad guys were gonna do in the end of 'Die Hard With A Vengeance.'

 

[dr_rava]

convince a freeones girl to join me a night

 

[JasonCook78]

I would get my own casino to make even more money: I would call it The FreeOnes Casino and Resort where OCSMs, admins, and mods could stay for free.

 

[assari]

I would buy the island.

 

[luis1972]

Fly to Space

 

[Death-Proof-69]

i'd do everything

 

[Mayhem]

I would get my own casino to make even more money: I would call it The FreeOnes Casino and Resort where OCSMs, admins, and mods could stay for free.

I'll run the poker room for you.

Me? I'd head for Europe and stay there. Bavaria, Barcelona, Tuscany, Corsica, Scotland (definitely Scotland), Normandy, Brittany. Anyone remember the Spain episode on No Reservations? They had these canned seafood, packed in olive oil that Bourdain was swooning over. But they were really expensive. I'd be buying out the whole shop. Go to the wine auctions and buy the good stuff. When I get tired of running around, head for my Estate, wherever the hell it is. The last Band of Brothers where they find Hermann Goering's wine and liquor stash? That's what my place would look like. Only with hot, Hungarian chicks. Ooooh, did I mention Budapest?...........

 

[gunslingingbird]

I would get my own casino to make even more money: I would call it The FreeOnes Casino and Resort where OCSMs, admins, and mods could stay for free.

Why, that's mighty nice of you. 'ppreciate that.

By the way, you have ass marks on your lips. :booty:

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

I wouldn't even want that much money, not unless I earned. Give me a few mill' - I go back and get my graduate degree, then another bachelors or associates degree in another subject - this time probably a CNC degree or a degree from the Institute of Production and Recording and I would either start my own putter line or my own record label, or both.

 

[squallumz]

buy freeones
ban everyone
sell it back

 

[sean miguel]

I'd buy an NFL team and make myself the offensive coordinator ( I love the x's and o's stuff).

 

[Mr. Daystar]

Help some family and friends, build a nice house on vast acreage....with a mote and a draw bridge. Get a few toys, and spend my days hunting, fishing, and playing with my RC planes, and cars, or getting baked and playing with my gigantic model rail road.

 

[JasonCook78]

Why, that's mighty nice of you. 'ppreciate that.

By the way, you have ass marks on your lips. :booty:

Hey would you like to relax from moderating head to Vegas and sleep by the pool with OCSMs swimming and walking around.

 

[L3ggy]

I'd convert it to Svenska Kronor.

 

[Deepcover]

I'd get into the film business. Just producing and directing movies and trying to build my own film production company. That would be cool.

 

[bahodeme]

Buy Hostess

 

[lurkingdirk]

I can tell you one thing, if I won, prior to producing the winning ticket I would set up exactly where the money was going to go in the short term, I'd change my phone number, kill my email address, and book a trip on a private chartered jet to somewhere extremely private and secure. Once that was done, I'd collect the winnings, and get the hell out of dodge. Can you imagine how many people/organisations/charities/etc. would suddenly be calling and begging for money?

Now, that said, I'd figure out how much I'd have after taxes, and then, rather than just giving money to organisations or whatever I think do good work, I'd set up endowments for said organisations so they would be guaranteed huge amounts of money every year for nearly ever. Sustainable charitable donations - it's the best way to do it. Building endowments helps for decades. One time large donations help in the short term, and often cause problems later (like they use the money to build a new, large building that they later can't afford to maintain).

I'd probably stay in the house I'm in, as I love it and my neighbourhood. I'd probably do some customizing, though...

 

[Neutron66]

Start financing porn shoots starring me.

 

[STDiva]

I'd take a tour of space. When I get back,take my friends on a world tour vacation and when Im done having fun, I'd buy a huge piece of land in New Zealand and build a fair sized house. I'd have a gaming room, billiards room and a recording studio with a ton of equipment.

My mom and brother would both get a new house and car and enough cash to never work. . Most of my family would get a solid sum.