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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Crump: Little Chance Of Lottery Win

With due diligence, the Idaho Lottery lists the odds on every ticket it sells. Nobody reads them, of course. Like most humans, lotto ticket buyers think they’re exempt from probability and statistics. Notwithstanding, let’s look at your chances:

  • Hot Lotto Sizzler, five balls plus the Hot Ball: 1 in 10.9 million.
  • Hot Lotto Sizzler, three balls plus the Hot Ball ($150 prize): 1 in 1,950.
  • Hot Lotto Sizzler, one ball plus the Hot Ball ($3 prize): 1 in 47.
  • Powerball, five balls plus Power Ball: 1 in195.2 million.
  • Powerball, three balls plus Power Ball ($100): 1 in 13,644.
  • Powerball, one ball plus Power Ball ($4): 1 in 123. (More from Steve Crump here)

Question: Why do you play the lottery when there's virtually no chance you'll win the big one?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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