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ShalomRPh t1_iutzku0 wrote

Reply to comment by coreynj2461 in We hit the Powerball! by elmwoodblues

Someone on WINS put it like this: you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, while simultaneously being eaten by a shark, than hitting the powerball.

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jkkissinger t1_iuucv4k wrote

I rarely buy lotto tickets, and I haven’t for a few year, but the hours of fun I have imagining what I’d do with all that money is worth the couple dollars the ticket costs.

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FilmoreGash t1_iuwe7ju wrote

This is exactly my rationale for occasionally buying a ticket. True, the odds of winning are astronomical, BUT, sooner or later someone has to win, so why not take the chance. Worst case, I spent a few hours at the "Fantasy Island" in my head. My typical fantasies are based on the reality of my finances, so they're pretty mundane.

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[deleted] t1_iuuie2t wrote

[deleted]

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ShalomRPh t1_iuutgj7 wrote

I think they were figuring the odds mathematically. Odds of being struck by lightning, x; odds of being eaten by shark, y; odds of both happening simultaneously, xy; odds of hitting the Powerball, z, where xy<z.

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tonyisadork t1_iuwq1e4 wrote

Odds of ‘this happening’ versus odds of ‘this happening at this specific place at this specific time’ (which would have to coincide with the same for the other event) are not the same odds, no?

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