Notable victories
Since the jackpot amount shown is an annuity of 30 graduated annual payments, its monetary value relative to the annuity fluctuates. Actual ratio depends on projected interest rates and other factors. MUSL starts with monetary value, built from a percentage of sales, and then calculates the announced jackpot amount from this amount based on the average value of the top three securities bids.
27 Martha 2019 year one ticket, bought in wisconsin, became the only Powerball jackpot winner of 768,4 million dollars (477 million dollars in cash), 3rd largest in US lottery history. The winner of the huge prize was a 24-year-old Wisconsin resident named Manuel Franco.
23 August 2017 year Powerball ticket holder, sold in Chicopee, Massachusetts, won over 750 million dollars, which is one of the largest prizes in lottery history. Mavis Vanchik, 53-summer mother of two from Massachusetts, became a happy winner.
13 january 2016 of the year the world's largest lottery jackpot, annual income of about 1,586 billion dollars, was split between three Chino Hills Powerball tickets, California , Melbourne Beach, Florida and Manford, Tennessee , each worth 528,8 million dollars each. Since Florida and Tennessee have no income tax (and California does not tax lottery winnings), cash payment option after federal deductions is 187,2 million dollars each.
18 May 2013 years with Powerball ticket, sold in Zephyrhills, Florida , the world's largest single-ticket jackpot was won, annual income of about 590,5 million dollars (648 million dollars today) . 5 June Florida Lottery officials announced the winner: 84-summer Gloria K. Mackenzie, who bought a "quick choice" ticket at the Publix supermarket . Mackenzie chose a cash payment option of about 370,8 million dollars before federal taxes withholding; Florida has no state income tax.
Other winners, exceeding 250 million dollars: 25 December 2002 Jack Whittaker , President of Putnam County Construction Firm, West Virginia , won 314,9 million dollars (448 million dollars today), which became a new record for one ticket in the American lottery. . Whittaker chose the money option in the amount of 170 million dollars, having received about 83 million dollars after withholding taxes in West Virginia and federal taxes.
19 October 2005 the West family of Jacksonville, Oregon, won 340 million dollars (Today 445 million dollars). Vesta chose a cash payment in the amount of 164,4 million dollars (before retention), which is less, than Whittaker's cash payment 2002 year due to a recent change in the structure of the annuity.
Jackpot in the amount 365 million dollars (463 million dollars today) was won 18 february 2006 years with one ticket to Nebraska . It was shared by eight people, who worked at the meat processing plant. The group opted for a cash payment option of approximately 177,3 million dollars to hold.
25 August 2007 year jackpot of 314 million dollars (387 million dollars today) won by a former car worker from Ohio ; this ticket was purchased in Richmond, Indiana , community, who previously sold the ticket, winning the jackpot, more than 200 million dollars.
In November 2011 three years finance executives from Greenwich, Connecticut , shared the jackpot 254,2 million dollars (289 million dollars today), largest ticket prize, bought in connecticut. By choosing cash option, the men shared almost 104 million dollars after withholding. The jackpot was the 12th highest in Powerball history at the time..
Fortune cookie payout
In the Powerball draw 30 Martha 2005 of the year 110 winners took second place. The total amount paid to these winners was 19,4 million dollars, wherein 89 winners received 100 thousand dollars each, a 21 the other winner received 500 thousand dollars each, since they were selected in Power Play.
MUSL officials initially suspected fraud or error in the message. However, all 110 winners played in cookie numbers with predictions, made by Wonton Food Inc. from Long Island City, New York State . The factory printed the numbers “22, 28, 32, 33, 39, 40»On thousands of states. The number "40" in luck did not coincide with the number 42 в Powerball. None of the Wonton Food employees guessed these numbers; at the time, Connecticut was the closest player to the game . Since the ticket holders won by coincidence, not rough play, payments were made.
If the Powerball number were 42, these winners would share the jackpot in 25 million dollars: each annual annuity for 227 272 dollar or 122 727 dollars in cash (before retention). The fortune on the cookies read: “All your preparation, finally, will pay off ".
The rule 3. Know your chances
The probability of a jackpot in any lottery is, usually, one formula. And here is the calculation of the probability, eg, closing at least one line in the lotto is very non-trivial and would take a whole article, maybe, and not one. Therefore, in fact, the chance of getting some money in the lottery is higher due to the fact, that most lotteries have additional prizes in addition to the main one. But I will focus on the jackpot for ease of assessment..
Let's admit, we bought a lottery ticket with a random set of numbers
The same number of balls are drawn during the drawing., and if the numbers on them coincided with the numbers on the ticket (in any order, it is important!), then we won. The probability of such a win is calculated as follows:
The number of combinations without taking into account the order is called in mathematics the number of combinations, and if you know and understand the formula for calculating it, then from this article you, likely, don't learn anything new. If you are not a mathematician, then it will be easier to use the online service, for example with this. Similar services (and formula, underlying their work) offer to set two numbers:
- n - the total number of possible options for one item. In our case, the object is a ball, and there are so many balls, how many numbers are in the lottery, more on this below.
- k - number of items in one sample. In our case, how many balls the lottery draws and how many numbers are in the ticket (supposed, that these quantities are equal).
so, if we have a lottery with a draw 5 balls, but in total in the lottery 50 balls with numbers from 1 to 50, then the probability of winning in it will be equal to one to the number of combinations for k = 5 and n = 50, i.e:
Consider a more complex case - the popular American Powerball lottery, in which the jackpot value exceeded one billion dollars. According to the rules, there is a basic sample of 5 numbers (from 1 to 69), and also one additional number (from 1 to 26). Need to get everyone match 6 numbers, to win.
It's not hard to understand, that the chance of getting the first set is equal to one to the number of combinations for k = 5 and n = 69 (i.e 11 238 513), and the chance to "catch" the last ball is 1 to 26. To get everything at once, these chances need to be multiplied, because events must happen at the same time:
In other words, if 300 million people will buy tickets, then only one will win. It shows, why the jackpot is often not won at all: lottery organizers just don't print as many tickets, so that among them the winning.
