Powerball $100m draw: You're more likely to be crushed by a meteorite than win
There's a whopping $100 million up for grabs tonight in Australia – but just how lucky do you have to be to win?
Whether you love to dabble or hate the thought of it, almost everyone's at least once had a crack at a big lotto jackpot — especially when there's hundreds of millions of dollars up for grabs, such as in tonight's Powerball draw.
If you're thinking about taking a swing, the chances of you actually pocketing the big Powerball jackpot are incredibly slim — but you already knew that. What you may not know though, are some of the other life-altering events that are more likely to happen to you instead of bagging a division one prize.
Ever heard that you're more likely to die on your way to go and buy a Powerball ticket than actually winning? Turns out it's true, especially if you're driving there.
$100 jackpot up for grabs in Australia
With tonight's $100 million jackpot up for grabs, Aussies will be heading out to their local newsagent to pocket a couple of tickets. But according to The Lott themselves, the chances of winning division one in Powerball, based on one standard game, are a vanishingly small one in 134,490,400.
We often hear in the news that meteorites fly by earth, sometimes coming a little too close for comfort. If a decently-sized one was to make impact however, it could have catastrophic consequences. As it turns out, the odds of you dying from a local meteorite, asteroid or comet impact are one in 1.6 million, according to the National Geographic — MUCH more likely than a Powerball win.
If a fear of flying is preventing you from booking your dream holiday, go ahead and buy those tickets, with the odds of a person dying in a plane crash about one in 20 million. Terrified of thunderstorms? You needn't worry, the chances of being struck by lightning are as low as four in a million.
Fear of sharks? Get in that water. According to the International Shark File, the chances of being bitten are one in 4,332,817.
According to Safe Work Australia, you're even more likely to die at work — by quite a long way too. In 2021, the authority reported that workers aged 65 and over had the highest fatality rate among Aussies, with 4.5 deaths per 100,000 workers.
While these are just a few cherry-picked examples, the list goes on and on. Though if you're still feeling lucky, the $100 million jackpot for Powerball draw 1444 will take place tonight and it's the biggest offered by any Australian lottery game in almost six months.
Increase your chances of winning it all
Speaking earlier to Yahoo News, Jason Murphy, an Australian economist and author, trawled through the data and shared ways to increase your chances of winning a big Powerball prize.
The numbers that are drawn on the night are random, but the numbers people choose are not. To improve your expected value (prize money) in the unlikely event you win, it pays to choose unloved numbers.
"When you play Powerball, you need to channel your inner toddler: You do not want to share," Mr Murphy told Yahoo News Australia. "A big reason you can never get ahead playing Powerball is that it's quite possible for someone else to have the same numbers as you, and if they do you'll split that Division One prize."
When it comes to Powerball, it's really all about the Division One game. Seven balls are drawn from a set labelled 1 to 35, then the all important Powerball is drawn from a different set, numbered 1 to 20.
Despite Powerball being a game of chance and every number having an equal chance of being drawn, the Lott also revealed there have been certain numbers which have been selected more than others — numbers 2, 3, 7, 9, 11 and 17 have been drawn more frequently from the main barrel while 2 and 19 have out-performed as the Powerball number.
If gambling is a problem for you, go to Gambling Help Online or call 1800 858 858.
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