Have you ever played the lottery?
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The Powerball – formerly known as Lotto America – is the closest in the U.S. to a national lottery. Residents or visitors to 45 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands can purchase tickets. The five states not currently participating are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. Come in August, however, Idaho will end its Powerball partnership over concerns that the game is set to expand overseas.
A $ 731 million Powerball jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Maryland, but as of Feb. 11, the winner had not yet come forward and apparently has not yet made a claim.
Here are the things you need to know about how the lottery works if you are thinking of trying it.
When are there pictures for the Powerball?
Photos will be held every Wednesday and Saturday at 8pm PT (11pm ET).
How much is in the pot?
The Powerball is sitting at $ 238 million as of March 25, or a cash value of $ 159.8 million. Each time it is not implemented, the pot grows to about $ 10 million.
Has anyone made a lot of money in photography lately?
The March 18 photo reportedly saw at least three $ 1 million winners: one ticket was sold at the Speedway gas station in Amherst, New York, according to WGRZ, and winning tickets were also sold in Michigan and South Carolina, according to MLive.
How the Powerball game works
The player selects five white balls with numbers 1 through 69, and one red Powerball of any number between 1 and 26. These numbers are selected with a play slip that you can buy at most some convenience stores. Each Powerball game costs $ 2. You can also choose Quick Pick, where a computer selects your numbers at random.
During the drawing, the white balls are selected from one spinning drum and the red balls from another. When Lotto America became a Powerball in 1992, the game began using two raffle-style drums – by then, Lotto America used two separate machines for drawing.
The winners of the lottery are a bit thin, but people still try.
Photos Martin Diebel / Getty
Here are the ways in which one ticket could be won and the winners won (according to the Multi-State Lottery Association Powerball site):
- Match the six numbers, win the whole pot (or the value for money)
Odds: 1 in 292,201,338 - Match the five white balls, winning $ 1 million
Odds: 1 in 11,688,053.52 - Match four white balls with the red Powerball, winning $ 50,000
Odds: 1 in 913,129.18 - Make matches just four white balls, win $ 100
Odds: 1 in 36,525.17 - Match three white balls with the red Powerball, winning $ 100
Odds: 1 in 14,494.11 - Match three white balls, winning $ 7
Odds: 1 in 579.76 - Match two white balls with the Powerball, winning $ 7
Odds: 1 in 701.33 - Match one white ball to the Powerball, win $ 4
Odds: 1 in 91.98 - Match only the Powerball, win $ 4
Odds: 1 in 38.32
You have a chance in 24.9 to win anything at all. Why not the ones that seem to only match the Powerball in 26? Because you have to be on it without matching white balls too. The Missouri Lottery website has an explanation here.
How will the pot be paid out to the winner?
Winners can receive the amount in installments over several years or take a one-time cash payment. For example, if a winner chooses to take a chunk of the $ 238 million jackpot, that will not be the case. According to the Powerball website, it will be the amount of money needed to be in the prize pool to fund an annual prize pool. It will still, however, be a lot of money. A woman who won a $ 188 million Powerball jackpot in 2015 apparently took a $ 126 million lump sum.
You can also choose to take the payment in 30 annual installments over 29 years, with these annual payments going up by 5%.
You must earn money from the lottery on your fees using the 1099-MISC form for mixed winnings. Depending on where you live, state and local taxes could earn an additional 13%. Also, when tax season rolls around, you seem to be put in a higher tax bracket than before he won, so the maximum federal tax rate of 37% comes into play.
Powerball winners more often opt for a one-time cash payment, however, according to the lottery website. Only about four winners have chosen to receive their winners from an annuity since 2003. By 2020, two jackpots have gone unsolicited and two have remained anonymous.
To win the jackpot, all six numbers must be equal. But the weird ones are in excess of 250 million.
Jodi Jacobson / Getty Images
It seems almost impossible to make big money. What is the best way to spend the money I earn?
Because of comparison, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning (one chance in 500,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) than you have of earning $ 50,000 or more in Powerball. Statistically, it is not the smartest way to gamble.
There are plenty of games under $ 2 on Steam and movies that you can watch online. Also, if you played twice a week every week of the year, that’s around $ 208 you would be streaming away. If you put that money aside, you will have enough to buy, say, a Nintendo Switch Lite at the end of the year.
Are there certificates for playing Powerball?
To play Powerball, you must be at least 18 years old. You do not have to be a US citizen or US resident to play. You can also play if you do not live in the state in which you purchased the ticket.
The lottery as we know it today has undergone many changes since the ’80s.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Why is Idaho ending its involvement in Powerball?
The Idaho state legislature has voted to abandon the Powerball game this August, the Associated Press reported. The move comes as a result of Powerball’s expansion to include Australia in 2021 and the UK in 2022. Idaho’s current state law does not allow residents to participate in lotteries in the U.S. and Canada, so Idaho Lottery officials pursued change to allow the inclusion of the new nations. The bill was drafted in a 10-4 vote in the legislature’s House State Affairs Committee. Responding to the news, an Idaho Lottery report now stressed that residents of the state can still play Powerball, with the state recording two $ 50,000 winners on March 10th.
“Work is ongoing with the Legislature to determine another way forward to ensure that service to Idaho’s most popular lottery game is not unduly disturbed, for the benefit of Idaho’s schools and public buildings,” the lottery agency said .
Can you still play Lotto America?
Yes, but it was not the original game from 1992 that became Powerball. You can play Lotto America – the revival of the game that replaced the Hot Lotto game with cheats in 2017. Pictures take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15 pm PT (11:15 pm ET). Players choose five numbers between 1 and 52 along with a Ball Ball with numbers 1 to 10. There are also nine ways to win Lotto America, but the numbers of winning the jackpot (meaning to the five numbers match in addition to the Star Ball) 1 in almost 26 million.
Only 13 states still play Lotto America – Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
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Upcoming schedule of Powerball and other lottery events
Powerball pictures
Every Wednesday and Saturday at 8pm PT (11pm ET)
Mega millions
Tuesday and Friday at 8pm PT (11pm ET)
American Lotto
Wednesday and Saturday at 8:15 pm PT (11:15 pm ET)
Cash4Life
Every night at 6pm PT (9pm ET)
Disclaimer: CNET is not affiliated with any lottery organizations, and we do not endorse participation. Playing the lottery is a game, and your ideas about winning are determined by the organization that runs it. CNET can generate affiliate revenue from trade links; there are no similar agreements between CNET and lottery-run organizations. This story is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.