May the odds be ever on your favor.
The Powerball jackpot has grown once more after no one struck it superrich in Wednesday night’s drawing, meaning that Friday night, New Yorkers will have yet another chance to become an instant billionaire.
Though six lucky New Yorkers earned third-prizes worth $50,000 for matching some of the winning numbers, millions of players across America were unable to match all five winning numbers and the Powerball to secure the grand prize of $1.13 billion for the April 3 drawing.
So the jackpot for the April 5 drawing is now at a record $1.23 billion — an obscene sum of money fit for someone who breaks the obscene odds of procuring a grand-prize Powerball ticket, which is 1 in more than 292 million. By contrast, you have a far better chance of being bitten by a shark; the Florida Museum of Natural History indicated that the odds of getting attacked by Jaws are about 1 in 3 million.
Still, all you need is $2 and a dream to buy a chance at winning all the marbles – or getting one of the lesser cash prizes, much of which are quite lucrative.
Match the five winning numbers without the Powerball, and you’ll get $1 million. After taxes, you’ll walk away with about $650,000 — enough to live a little better in a city that has become harder to comfortably live in.
If you happen to get four of the five winning numbers and the Powerball, you’ll receive a $50,000 cash prize. New York has seen more than a dozen third-prize Powerball winners in recent drawings; Wednesday’s contest saw six more crowned across the state, including two third-prize winning tickets sold in Manhattan at the Lucky Choice Convenience store, located at 118 West 72nd St. on the Upper West Side; and the Riverside Gourmet Market, located at 3779 Broadway in Washington Heights.
And getting a winning third-prize tickets defies incredible odds itself; the New York Lottery notes that the chances of getting a third-prize Powerball ticket are 1 in 913,129 — almost a literal million to one shot.
Most New Yorkers who do wind up with a Powerball winning ticket will get a far less prize than a billion dollars. Your odds of matching at least the Powerball, which is worth the minimal $4 prize, are roughly 38 to 1. By contrast, if you were to go to Aqueduct Racetrack and buy a $2 win ticket on a 38-1 horse in a race, and that horse winds up winning, your ticket would be worth $78.
Regardless of the odds, the Powerball drawing not only offers a chance to get lucky and win big, but also support the state’s public education system. New York Lottery notes that its games contributed more than $3.7 billion to public education in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Remember: Bet with your head, not over it! If you or a loved one is suffering from gambling addiction, call 877-8-HOPE-NY.
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