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A lottery player looks over his Mega Millions lottery tickets he purchased at a news stand in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. No one won the $1 billion jackpot in Saturday night’s drawing, which means the top prize for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing would be the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
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A lottery player looks over his Mega Millions lottery tickets he purchased at a news stand in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. No one won the $1 billion jackpot in Saturday night’s drawing, which means the
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Photo: Matt Rourke / Associated Press
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Photos: Things more likely to happen than winning the Lottery
Go ahead and spend your two bucks, but you’re probably not winning the jackpot. Chances of matching all the numbers in the lottery are minuscule.
See the things that are more likely to happen than winning the big prize.
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Photos: Things more likely to happen than winning the Lottery
Go ahead and spend your two bucks, but you’re probably not winning the jackpot. Chances of matching all the numbers in the lottery are minuscule.
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Photo: Eric Gay
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Odds of winning the Powerball: 1-in-292.2 million
Odds of winning Mega Millions: 1-in-302.5 million
Odds of winning the Powerball: 1-in-292.2 million
Odds of winning Mega Millions: 1-in-302.5 million
Photo: SAUL LOEB, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of being killed in a terrorist attack: 1-in-9.3 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of being killed in a terrorist attack: 1-in-9.3 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: Cadalpe, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of death by execution: 1-in-127,717
(National Safety Council)
Odds of death by execution: 1-in-127,717
(National Safety Council)
Photo: Peter Dazeley, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of being fatally struck by lightning: 1-in-164,968
Odds of being fatally struck by lightning: 1-in-164,968
Photo: Utah-based Photographer Ryan Houston, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of having 190+ IQ: 1-in-107 million
(Source: New York Post)
Odds of having 190+ IQ: 1-in-107 million
(Source: New York Post)
Photo: John Lund, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of spotting a UFO: 1-in-3 million
(Source: New York Post)
Odds of spotting a UFO: 1-in-3 million
(Source: New York Post)
Photo: Nicholas Eveleigh, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of being killed by a snake bite: 1-in 3.5 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of being killed by a snake bite: 1-in 3.5 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: Jessica Ray / EyeEm, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of a left-handed person dying trying to use something made for right-handed people: 1-in-4.4 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of a left-handed person dying trying to use something made for right-handed people: 1-in-4.4 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: Image Source, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of dying in a plane crash: 1-in-11 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of dying in a plane crash: 1-in-11 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: Anadolu Agency, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of being killed by a falling coconut: 1-in-250 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of being killed by a falling coconut: 1-in-250 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: John S Lander, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of becoming U.S. President: 1-in-10 million
(Source: Google)
Odds of becoming U.S. President: 1-in-10 million
(Source: Google)
Photo: MANDEL NGAN, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of being killed in a fairground accident: 1 in 300 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of being killed in a fairground accident: 1 in 300 million
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: Galveston.com
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Odds of drowning in your own bathtub: 1-in-685,000
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Odds of drowning in your own bathtub: 1-in-685,000
(Source: Daily Mirror)
Photo: Martin Barraud, Houston Chronicle
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Odds of being randomly selected from all Americans: 1-in-320 million (slightly worse odds than winning the Powerball)
Source: Rice University)
Odds of being randomly selected from all Americans: 1-in-320 million (slightly worse odds than winning the Powerball)
Source: Rice University)
Photo: John Lund, Houston Chronicle
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Photo: Matt Rourke / Associated Press
A lottery player looks over his Mega Millions lottery tickets he purchased at a news stand in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. No one won the $1 billion jackpot in Saturday night’s drawing, which means the top prize for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing would be the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
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A lottery player looks over his Mega Millions lottery tickets he purchased at a news stand in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. No one won the $1 billion jackpot in Saturday night’s drawing, which means the
… more
Photo: Matt Rourke / Associated Press
Mega Millions numbers: All the stats you need to know, and some you don’t
The California Lottery is all about numbers, so here’s a by-the-numbers look at the most popular game of the moment, Mega Millions, on the eve of the draw for the biggest jackpot in world history.
So let’s start with that number: $1.6 billion.
Just to get a sense of how much that is, previously, the biggest jackpot in Mega Millions history was less than half that amount: $656 million in 2012. Three winning tickets — in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland — shared the prize.
The mega-jackpot has, not surprisingly, mushroomed as more people hit their local liquor stores, supermarkets and gas stations in hopes of getting rich.
“When the frenzy begins and it approaches $1 billion, we find that a lot of people who usually don’t play lottery will take a chance,” said Russ Lopez, a spokesman for the California State Lottery. “We see a lot of people who are casual players or non-players. But that’s human nature right? When something gets this high, it’s got an allure.”
Here’s some numbers and percentages to consider:
1 in 303 million: The number of possible combinations and odds of matching all five numbers and the Mega Ball.
$905 million: The estimated lump sum that a prospective Mega Millions winner could take home before taxes.
24 percent: The IRS’s cut of the lottery winnings, which apply to any prize over $5,000. California does not take out additional state taxes on the prize, but winners should expect to pay up on their income taxes.
25 million: That’s how many tickets California State Lottery officials say had been sold, as of Monday afternoon, for Tuesday night’s drawing.
32: The number of times Californians have won the jackpot since the state joined the Mega Millions draw. This includes an office pool in Santa Clara County in August, when 11 people cashed in on a $543 million ticket.
$1.9 million: How much a lucky Safeway bakery employee’s Mega Millions ticket netted him last week when he matched the first five numbers.
$1.3 billion: Funding that Californian public schools have received this year from lottery drawings. K-12 schools get most of the funds, while a smaller amount go to the Californian community college, California State University and University of California school systems.’
$107 million: The estimated amount that Californian public schools will receive from tickets sold for Tuesday’s draw.
$13 million: The payout to San Francisco public schools this year to date, according to a California State Lottery report. Each quarter, the state controller’s office audits the amount raised by California State Lottery ticket and scratcher sales and cuts a check to each institution.
2: The number of California Lottery District Offices in the Bay Area. Winners could go to Richmond or Hayward to submit their claim forms.
46: States and territories (Washington D.C. and U.S. Virgin Islands) are part of the Mega Millions draw. Nevada, Utah, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii do not participate.
1-800-426-2537: The toll-free phone number for the California Council on Problem Gambling. Lottery officials say that people seeking counseling for a gambling addiction can also text SUPPORT to 53342.
Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @gwendolynawu